The Siege on Nigeria’s Food Baskets

All efforts to end hunger in Nigeria will be in vain if insurgent attacks continue to drive farmers from their fields and choke the nation’s food supply at its roots, writes Festus Akanbi

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rom whatever angle one examines the current situation in Nigeria’s food market, the situation is pathetic.

It is as if Nigeria’s food baskets are sitting on a wobbly table, one leg eaten away by insecurity, another weakened by the unpredictable weather.

In the markets today, food prices are galloping like wild horses. Rice has leapt to about N91,500 for a 50kg bag, beans now gulp over N87,000 for the same measure, and a small basket of tomatoes that once sold for N8,000 can now demand more than N25,000.

Experts say the current uneven rainfall can slash crop yields, drive up food prices, and deepen Nigeria’s hunger crisis. Meanwhile, armed attacks and kidnappings keep farmers away from their land, shrinking the nation’s harvest. Other challenges include a poor road network, insufficient storage facilities, destruction of crops and loss of livestock, and lack of mechanisation, among others.

Unfortunately, many Nigerians are yet to grapple with the dicey situation at the food market, but experts said the nation’s food stock is drying off.

From the bustling Mile 12 market in Lagos to Bodija in Ibadan, Watt in Calabar, Creek Road in Port Harcourt, Oja-Oba in Ilorin, Oba Market in Benin City, Kuto in Abeokuta, Ogbogonogo in Asaba, Ogbete in Enugu, and Eke-Ukwu in Owerri, Nigeria’s major food markets hum with the daily rhythm of trade. But agric sector watchers said the reality of the threat to food supply from the major food-producing areas of the North Central, North West, and  North East is now more than ever.

Agric Sector Under Siege

Their fear is exacerbated by the recent report by SBM Intelligence that Nigeria’s agricultural sector is under siege from a combination of deepening insecurity, weak legislation, and worsening climate conditions, disrupting farming activities and intensifying food insecurity across the country.

The report, ‘Nigeria’s Food Security Under Siege’, paints a grim picture of the country’s agricultural collapse between April 2024 and March 2025. Drawing on available data, it shows that, due to the ongoing crisis, the number of food-insecure Nigerians rose significantly from 66.2 million in the first quarter of 2023 to 100 million in the first quarter of 2024.

Reports indicate that incessant farmer-herder clashes and renewed insurgency across various agrarian villages in Nigeria are currently stalling the federal government’s food security drive. From late 2023 to mid-2025, at least 922 farmers and villagers have been reportedly murdered by insurgents as turf wars centered around food and water persist.

From Borno to Yobe, it has been stories of wanton bloodshed and destruction of farmlands as killers attack multiple villages.

However, for years, the North-central region of Nigeria, particularly Benue and Plateau states, has been the epicentre of violence, marked by systematic killings, mass displacement, and the destruction of entire communities. The victims of this violence are largely agrarian communities, whose livelihoods have been shattered by incessant attacks primarily from armed herder militia groups, although the federal government and the security agencies keep assuring the people all will be well. Critics say that despite repeated assurances from successive governments, the Nigerian state has failed to demonstrate either the political will or the operational competence required to end this carnage.

One of the most horrifying examples of this violence was the June 2025 massacre in Yelwata, Benue State, where over 100 people were reportedly killed in one of many coordinated attacks on farming communities. Similarly, the Christmas massacres of December 2023 in Plateau State saw almost 200 people killed in cold blood. These atrocities are not isolated incidents; they are part of a systematic campaign of killings and forced displacement.

Research has demonstrated a clear pattern of state failure, impunity of attackers who continue to terrorise communities with little fear of arrest or prosecution, reprisal attacks, and weak enforcement of laws such as Benue’s Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law. There is no doubt that the entrenched violence is eroding the economic base of the region and threatening national food security.

Commenting on the renewed insurgency that has forced farmers out of their farms to seek refuge elsewhere, the National President, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kabir Ibrahim, was recently quoted as admitting that the troubling development has led to a frightening dip in food production.

He said many farmers are now scared to venture into their farms as they fear being killed or kidnapped for ransom. “If people cannot produce optimally, then you cannot expect enough food from them or even prosperity, for that matter. They will not be able to produce even those things that are cash crops,” he said. For instance, he noted that the conflicts have forced many farmers to abandon their land and livelihoods, leading to a decline in yam cultivation. 

Painting a grim picture of the security situation in these food-producing regions, an agricultural expert, and spokesperson for Sahel Consulting, Efe Omoghene disclosed that rural communities across Nigeria’s Middle Belt and the North, which were once the major cities’ food pipeline, are now struggling to feed themselves, saying thriving farmlands now bear the weight of fear and insecurity. With each disrupted planting season, the country edges closer to a more profound food security crisis, exacerbating what began as a regional instability into a nationwide emergency.

Pressure on Food-Producing Region

Statistics from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre show that an estimated 295,000 internal displacements related to conflicts and violence were reported in Nigeria in 2024 alone.  This includes the states of Benue, Borno, Katsina, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara.  Analysts said this is not just a crisis of safety; it’s a crisis of sustenance.

For years, states such as Benue, Kaduna, Niger, Plateau, and Zamfara have been key food-producing regions, responsible for much of Nigeria’s grains, roots, fruits, and livestock. However, these areas are increasingly becoming places where violence has made farming a risky endeavour. Clashes between herders and farmers, banditry, terrorism, and communal violence have transformed fertile lands into contested zones. When farmers fear for their safety, they often cease farming or abandon their land altogether.

The impact is already being felt. Markets are seeing rising prices on staple foods like yams, rice, and tomatoes. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the cost of beans in the country in October 2024 was 282 per cent higher compared to the same period in 2023.

Agric experts warn that Nigeria is walking a tightrope toward an acute food shortage, and the only way to steady the rope is to stop insurgent attacks on farming communities, especially in the North Central, the nation’s grain heartland. “If we can guarantee the safety of farmers today, we can begin to restore confidence, reclaim abandoned farmlands, and boost production before the next harvest,” one senior agricultural economist noted, adding that no amount of fertiliser subsidies or irrigation schemes will matter if farmers are too scared to step into their fields.

Averting Food Crisis

To avert the looming food crisis, experts insist that the authorities must first face the root of the problem, growing insecurity in its food-producing regions, without fear or favour. Insurgents, bandits, and armed groups cannot be handled with kid gloves; swift, decisive, and sustained security operations are needed to reclaim farmlands, protect rural communities, and dismantle criminal networks. Farmers must see visible boots on the ground, feel the presence of law enforcement in their villages, and know that any attack will be met with a strong and immediate response. This show of resolve will restore confidence among farmers, encouraging them to return to their fields instead of abandoning them to weeds and wasteland.

Beyond safety, farming must be made profitable and attractive enough to hold the interest of young people and sustain the livelihoods of older farmers. This means subsidising inputs like seeds, fertiliser, and mechanised tools; guaranteeing fair prices for produce; improving rural roads to cut transport costs; and ensuring access to modern storage facilities to reduce post-harvest losses. With the right incentives, farmers will not just return to the land; they will see it as a business worth investing in, creating a ripple effect of higher yields, stable prices, and a more secure food future for the country.

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