Afenifere raises the alarm over attacks on farmers in South-West

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The pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, on Friday, raised the alarm over the incessant attacks on and kidnapping of farmers and other innocent citizens in the region.

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Afenifere, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, added that there were several such incidents in various parts of Yorubaland and elsewhere in Nigeria that are unreported.

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The organisation revealed that during its recent visits to the 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.

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It said, “First, 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.

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“Among the recent instances were the killing of a female farmer in Ondo State, the abduction of a 33-year old poultry farmer, Ooreoluwa Osonuga, in Ikenne, Ogun State, killings of four farmers in Oke-Ogun Area of Oyo State, abduction of Debo Farounbi in Ora, Osun State.

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“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. They are even asking for more money and motorcycles!

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“In June this year, the All Farmers Association of Nigeria disclosed that “persistent abductions of farmers, farm workers and agribusiness investors in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states had discouraged investment, reduce, d agricultural productivity and endangered the livelihoods of thousands of farming familiesaccording to newspapers’ reports on June 9, 2026.

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“Many farmers now abandon their farms due to fear of abduction, ransom demands and violent attacks,”

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Afenifere explained that a prominent farmer in Ondo State, 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.”

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The group stressed that the President of Cowpea and Beans Farmers Association of Nigeria and Vice President of Federation of Agricultural Commodities Association, Shitu Kabir, stated that production of these commodities has dropped by almost 70 per cent at least in the north.

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Afenifere added, “A former Chairman of Ondo State Agricultural Commodities Association, Olugbenga Obaweya, also harped on the risks that insecurity constitutes.

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“To him, the difficulty in practicing farming safely not only puts food production at risk but also stands the chance of heightening unemployment as a lot of people who are engaged in agricultural-related businesses may be forced out of business.”

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Afenifere asserted that the reports from various parts of Nigeria were painting a bleak picture for agricultural practices and risks of hunger in the coming months if insecurity is not quickly put in check.

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It, therefore, lauded 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.

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The organisation again commended the authorities and security agencies for the recent rescue of abducted students and teachers in Oyo and Borno States, and urged them to deploy the same sagacity to rescue those still in captivity and prevent a reoccurrence.

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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, security agencies and people in authority to work on their members who may be abetting bandits in one way or the other.

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Other steps suggested to be worked upon are economic reforms to enhance the 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.

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While calling on the authorities at every level to buckle up in this respect, Afenifere specifically called on governors in the six states in the South-West to work on the following:

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Pending the establishment of State Police, strengthen Amotekun by, among others, increase its personnel, providing it with modern communication tools, operational vehicles and surveillance drones; enforce anti-open grazing laws; form specialized 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 encourage modern ranching.

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The statement also suggested the setting up of joint security checkpoints along porous state borders to check incoming armed groups.

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