Nigeria’s Food Crisis May Worsen As More Farmers Lose Lives

The lingering food crisis in some parts of Nigeria may worsen and spread to more states in 2022 as the country loses more farmers to the gruesome activities of bandits and insurgents.
At least, 352 farmers have been killed and kidnapped in 12 months amid the rising insecurity in the country, investigation has revealed.
The 352 comprised 216 killed farmers and 136 kidnapped farmers.
The figures were obtained from the Nigeria Security Tracker, a project of the Council on Foreign Relations’ Africa, as well as media reports.
The Council on Foreign Relations is a United States non-profit think tank specialising in US foreign policy and international affairs with its headquarters in New York City, and an additional office in Massachusetts.
The figure exceeds 352 as there were cases of killings and kidnappings of farmers with unknown numbers.
Farmers have been under serial attacks across the country, fuelling fear of acute food shortage if the government does not intervene proactively.
Across the six geo-political zones, findings revealed that farmers were abandoning their farmsteads, plantations, orchards, and processing factories amid the spate of armed invasion, kidnapping and attacks.
According to the findings, the most affected states are Plateau, Nasarawa, Oyo, Niger, Zamfara, Borno and Ondo.
In January, 13 farmers were killed, with seven executed by bandits in Niger State while many were injured. Three farmers were killed in Oyo State, one in Osun State and two others in Kaduna State.
In February, a total of 20 killings and kidnappings were recorded, with 12 feared killed in Bassa, Plateau State during a farmers-herders’ clash.
In July, a total of 10 killings and kidnappings were recorded, with gunmen abducting four farmers in Ekiti State and demanding N50m, while suspected herders killed five Tiv farmers in Nasarawa State.
In August, a total of 16 killings and kidnappings occurred, with bandits killing eight farmers in Kaduna, while unknown gunmen killed five farmers in Ile-Ife, Osun State.
In September, a total of 57 killings and kidnappings occurred, which included the alleged killing of 50 fishermen by Nigeria airstrike in Borno State as reported on September 26.
In December, the highest number of cases was recorded as a total of 88 killings and kidnappings were reported.