Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has expressed worry over the incessant attacks and kidnapping of farmers and other innocent citizens in the region.
Afenifere in a statement issued yesterday by its factional National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, lamented that many farmers now abandon their farms due to fear of abduction, ransom demands and violent attacks.
He cited the killing of a female farmer in Ondo State, the abduction of a 33-year-old poultry farmer, Mr. Ooreoluwa Osonuga in Ikenne, Ogun State, killings of four farmers in Okeogun area of Oyo State, abduction of Hon. Debo Farounbi in Ora, Osun State.
Ajayi added that abductors of the latter, Farounbi, who was kidnapped on June 9, 2026, have refused to release him despite the payment of N30 million according to sources, saying they are even asking for more money and motorcycles.
He recalled that in June, the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) disclosed that “persistent abductions of farmers, farm workers and agribusiness investors in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states had discouraged investment, reduced agricultural productivity and endangered the livelihoods of thousands of farming families.
Afenifere spokesman revealed that during recent visits to Oke-Ogun area and northern part of Oyo and Ondo states respectively, some people lamented that they have abandoned their farms for three major reasons.
According to Ajayi, “One is fear of being kidnapped, second is the serious fall in prices that farmers could sell their proceeds as middlemen/middle-women (known as ‘Onibaranda’) are standing between them and direct purchasers while the third reason is grazing on farmlands by unscrupulous herders that have not stopped despite several lamentations, warnings and steps taken.”
He stressed that a prominent farmer in Ondo State, Dr. Eddy Olafeso, who owns 10 hectares of land, on which he produces cassava, cocoa, yam, plantain and other crops, lamented that he had abandoned his farmland mainly “because of insecurity”.
Mallam Shitu Kabir, President, Cowpea and Beans Farmers Association of Nigeria and Vice President of Federation of Agricultural Commodities Association stated that production of these commodities have dropped by almost 70 per cent at least in the North.
Ajayi asserted that the reports from various parts of the country are painting a picture of bleak agricultural practices and risks of hunger in the coming months if insecurity is not quickly put in check.
The group, however, commended President Bola Tinubu on his latest directive that a comprehensive National Threat Assessment and a rolling five-year Strategic Defence Operations Plan be formulated within 90 days for the purpose of strengthening coordination across Nigeria’s defence, intelligence and security capabilities.
Among the multi-layered formulae given by Afenifere for resolving banditry in Nigeria were a combination of robust military action, tighter border control, strong community policing, a stoppage to the incentives that are driving kidnapping as well as the need for communities, among others.
Other steps suggested to be worked upon are economic reforms to enhance purchasing power of the people, reduction in high costs of items and services as well as ensuring that greater attention is paid to the seeming ‘ungoverned spaces’ while stringent sanctions are brought much more quickly upon those caught in the act of banditry.
Pending the establishment of state police, Afenifere called on South-west governors to strengthen Amotekun by increasing its personnel, provide it with modern communication tools, operational vehicles and surveillance drones; enforce anti-open grazing laws.
It further urged the governors to form specialised rangers’ units to clear and patrol thick forest reserves being used by criminals as hideouts; integrate local hunters and vigilante groups into information-sharing networks and the encouragement of modern ranching.
It also suggested the setting up of joint security checkpoints along porous state borders to check incoming armed groups.