Food crisis: Military deploys troops to secure North-West, North-Central farmers

The Defence Headquarters has said troops have been deployed across farms in the northern parts of the country, especially in the North West and North Central.

According to the military high command, the deployment was to ensure the adequate protection of farmers from bandits, terrorists and other criminal elements.

It is gathered that farmers have been a major target for bandits and terrorists who levied them indiscriminately, destroyed their produce, kidnapped and even killed them in some instances.

According to a tally by our correspondent, in the first quarter of this year, over 332 farmers were killed across the country. This marks a significant increase compared to the same period last year, from January to June 2023, when at least 128 farmers lost their lives.

Additionally, a recent report by SBM Intelligence, said farmers in the North paid an estimated sum of N139m as farm levies to bandits who demanded at least N224m between 2020 and 2023.

This comes as Nigeria faces its highest-ever food inflation rate, recorded at 40.87 per cent by the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics in June. In response, citizens have been calling for immediate action to address the growing hunger crisis in the country.

The Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun on Monday said the police had commenced patrols on farms to boost farmers’ confidence.

He said, “In the North East, we have started farm patrol to give confidence back to farmers to return to the farm. Mr. President is very, very concerned about it, and we are doing our best.

“But let me also add that the security landscape in Nigeria is complex and diverse.”

But in an interview with our correspondent on Wednesday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj Gen Edward Buba, stated that troops deployment began with the commencement of the rainy season. However, he did not reveal the exact number of troops assigned to the farms.

Buba added the deployment was to ensure farmers have a bumper harvest.

He said, “With the commencement of the rainy season, troops are currently deployed in several of the northern, particularly in the NW and NC states to provide protection for farmers. The deployment has enabled several farmers’ access to their farm for a hitch-free planting season towards a bumper harvest.”

The Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Kabir Ibrahim, confirmed that security presence had increased in farms across the country.

He, however, called on the government to eradicate insecurity to attain food sufficiency.

Ibrahim said, “There is definitely some remarkable security improvement around our farms across the food baskets in the North Central and North West. We therefore appreciate the effort and unreservedly commend the administrations at all levels for that.

“Like Oliver Twist, we implore the government to completely stem insecurity in order to attain food security seamlessly.”

Ibrahim said with the improved security, farmers should have a bumper harvest, noting that only flooding and drought could impede that.

He said, “We should certainly (have a bumper harvest). The improved security situation envisages an improved harvest generally barring flooding and drought.”

However, our correspondent learnt that troops have not been deployed to some states in the North West and North Central, following the Defence Headquarters directive.

The Benue State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Matthew Abo, who spoke to one of our correspondents on the phone on Wednesday, said there was no deployment of military personnel to the state to protect farmers.

According to the commissioner, the state Governor, Hyacinth Alia, had before now had  positive discussions with the service chiefs at the height of insecurity in the state, which necessitated deployment of more security operatives.

He, however, said that in the past two weeks there was no deployment of military personnel to the state.

Abo said, “Well, the governor went to Abuja and we have not discussed if there is any deployment of military to the state to protect farmers. There is no deployment of military to the state in the past two weeks.”

Also, an official of the Kano State Government, who spoke to The PUNCH on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, said Kano was not among the states in the North West battling banditry.

“Kano State is not among the states that are experiencing banditry because we don’t have thick forest.

“If you have been following reports on the issue of banditry, Kano State is not among the states in the zone battling with banditry,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Organising Secretary of Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, Benue State, Sam Yua, said several farmers have been forced to leave the rural areas as a result of incessant killings by armed herders and relocated to urban areas.

The rice farmer noted that the insecurity in the state is already having spiraling effects on the country.

He lamented that lately armed herders no longer returned to their states like they used to do when raining season sets in, saying, “now what they do is to drive away natives and occupy their (natives) communities.”

“For instance, where I hired 45 hectares of land and cultivated rice, the villagers have fled and herders occupying the community feed their cattle with our crops.”

Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Kano State, Alhaji Abdurrashid Magaji, said only two areas are affected in the state – Sumaila and Garko local government areas.

He appealed to state governments in the country to ensure massive procurement of fertilisers and other inputs for sale to farmers at subsidised rates to boost irrigation farming in their respective states.

Also, the Katsina State Director of Media to Governor Dikko Umar Radda, Maiwada Danmallam, says he is not aware of the deployment of soldiers to protect farms and farmers in the state.

He, however, admitted that soldiers were rather deployed to Kankara Local Government Area of the State to further curtail terrorists’ activities.

“I’m not aware soldiers were deployed to protect farms and farmers in Katsina State or any state in North Central or North West. However, I’m aware soldiers were deployed in Mabai, Kankara LGA, a corridor which of recent has been a gateway for bandits to launch attacks in Kankara, Funtua, Faskari, Dandume, Malumfashi and Kafur LGAs. This is a move to preempt or forestall such attacks on vulnerable communities in the mentioned LGAs.”

The Punch