Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, boasts abundant resources—about 70 million hectares of arable land, with nearly half under cultivation. By all accounts, this should ensure food security and prosperity. Yet, behind these figures lie stories of hardship, displacement, and hunger, deepened by one factor: insecurity. Across the country, farmer-herder conflicts, banditry, and kidnappings have crippled agriculture, forcing millions into poverty and scarcity. The North, home to most large-scale farmers, has become a flashpoint of fear, where fertile farmlands lie fallow.
Ironically, a nation once called the “Giant of Africa” and a global leader in cassava, yam, and cowpea production now ranks among the world’s hungriest—a paradox of plenty in the soil but hunger in the streets. DANIEL ANAZIA examines this dilemma.
The cost of insecurity
Insecurity, especially in the North, threatens Nigeria’s food system. The Boko Haram insurgency, starting in 2009, devastated the Northeast, displacing millions and halting farming. Banditry, kidnappings, and climate change have worsened the crisis, preventing farmers in states like Borno, Yobe, Benue, Kaduna, Zamfara, and southern regions (East, West, and South) from safely accessing farmlands. The result: falling yields, reduced incomes, and widespread poverty.
In 2024, Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas revealed that over 60,000 Nigerians have died in farmer-herder clashes spreading across West Africa. Crop production—88 percent of agriculture and 19 percent of GDP—has been disrupted. Attacks on roads and transporters break supply chains, pushing prices beyond reach. UNICEF warned in early 2023 that 25 million Nigerians risked severe hunger from June to August, up from 17 million the prior year. Conflict, inflation, and farm destruction in the Northeast and Northwest drive this trend.
The bitter roots
Nigeria’s food crisis arises from overlapping issues: climate change, criminality, and weak security. Desertification and shrinking grazing lands push herders south, sparking deadly clashes with farmers in North Central and Northwest. Bandit groups control rural areas in Zamfara, Katsina, and Kaduna, taxing villagers, kidnapping farmers, and burning harvests. Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorise Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, displacing millions and ruining farmlands.
The Nigerian Security Tracker reported 128 farmers killed and 37 kidnapped in the first half of 2023. ReliefWeb noted 84 percent of gang-related fatalities in the Northwest occurred in Zamfara, Katsina, and Kaduna—Nigeria’s food belt. Rural residents say armed groups control farms and force labour at gunpoint. In Zamfara, bandit leaders like Dogo Gudale and Halilu Sububu combine forced farming with illegal gold mining, using abductees as labourers.
For thousands, insecurity is a daily survival battle. Jamilu Mohammed, a farmer from Bukkuyum in Zamfara, said: “Insecurity seriously affects farming here. Our farms are inaccessible.” “I now cultivate near an Army barrack in Gusau for safety, but the soil is poor. It needs much manure and fertiliser. Some travel to Jigawa for safer land, despite low fertility,” he added. Kabiru Yusuf from Katsina said insecurity erodes consistency and confidence. “Farming is our economy’s backbone, but many can’t access farms.
Those who do go irregularly from fear. Bandits destroy crops unless levies are paid. A farm yielding 60 bags may give 20.” Safiya Abdullai from Borno, whose father died to Boko Haram, said her family relies on menial jobs: “When we had food, only children ate. All hope was lost. I cried every night.” Abdul Tafida, a yam farmer from Taraba, lost everything in the 2017 crisis. “I thank God for saving us, but six relatives died. We fled to Jalingo and lived in a school with little government help.”
Former Taraba AFAN chairperson Laraba Amina Abdul said insecurity slashes productivity. “Agriculture supports jobs and security in Taraba, but farming is difficult. Many have quit.” She noted blocked cattle routes worsen tensions: “Herders graze on farmlands or roads as traditional routes are encroached. Both sides once respected boundaries.” Herder Magaji Adamu from Ardo-Kola agreed: “It’s about grazing routes. Farmers took them; our cows need to eat. We don’t want fights—just routes.” Community dialogues designated paths to avoid clashes. Taraba MACBAN chairman Alhaji Ya’u Ibrahim Barewa said losses are devastating. “We’ve lost people, animals, livelihoods. Grazing shrinks from climate change.” He praised Governor Agbu Kefas for the new Livestock Development Agency: “It will reduce disputes and insecurity, promoting peace.”
Crippled supply chains and wasted harvests
Insecurity’s impact reaches beyond farms. Produce from conflict zones faces poor transport, storage, and infrastructure. Highways under threat force traders and drivers to avoid routes, causing shortages and high prices. Nigeria loses 40 percent of food annually to post-harvest waste—one of the world’s highest rates. Poor roads, no cold storage, and weak processing rot perishables. Losses exceed ₦8 trillion ($10 billion) yearly.
Government’s words and will
The government claims commitment via reforms and investment. At the 47th National Council on Agriculture in Kaduna, Minister Sen. Abubakar Kyari said President Tinubu’s administration aims to lower prices and stabilise chains. “Food sovereignty means controlling what we grow and consume. Security ensures access to safe, affordable, nutritious food,” he said. Efforts include expanding NAGS-AP, bolstering grain reserves, and supporting post-harvest via NiPHaST. “Wheat production now spans over 20 states,” Kyari noted. “We cut losses with hermetic bags and silos for smallholders.” Silos are rehabilitated in Zamfara, Katsina, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Niger, Osun, Edo, and Kwara for distribution and emergencies. “Integrating them builds a responsive system for shortages,” he added. Experts say security is key. Without rural safety, protected farmers, secure roads, and resettled families, no policy succeeds. Nigeria must reclaim its fields of gold and end street hunger.
A fragile future
Nigeria’s hunger fight is about dignity, safety, and stability. From Zamfara’s abandoned fields to Borno’s burnt farmlands, insecurity turns the breadbasket into a battlefield. Will fear keep people hungry, or will Nigeria protect those who feed it? The answer decides if fertile soil brings hope or lost potential.