Di pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, don express serious worry over di way bandits and kidnappers dey attack farmers and innocent citizens for South-West region.
For statement wey im factional National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, release yesterday, di group lament say plenty farmers don abandon dia farms becos of fear of abduction, ransom demands and violent attacks.
Ajayi cite di killing of one female farmer for Ondo State, di abduction of one 33-year-old poultry farmer, Mr. Ooreoluwa Osonuga for Ikenne, Ogun State, killings of four farmers for Okeogun area of Oyo State, and di abduction of Hon. Debo Farounbi for Ora, Osun State.
Ajayi add say di abductors of Farounbi, wey dem kidnap on June 9, 2026, don refuse to release am despite say dem don pay N30 million according to sources. Dem even dey ask for more money and motorcycles.
He recall say for June, di All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) don disclose say persistent abductions of farmers, farm workers and agribusiness investors for Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states don discourage investment, reduce agricultural productivity and endanger di livelihoods of thousands of farming families.
Afenifere spokesman reveal say during recent visits to Oke-Ogun area and northern part of Oyo and Ondo states respectively, some people lament say dem don abandon dia farms for three major reasons. According to Ajayi: ‘One na fear of being kidnapped, second na di serious fall in prices wey farmers fit sell dia proceeds as middlemen/middle-women (wey dem know as “Onibaranda”) dey stand between dem and direct purchasers, while di third reason na grazing on farmlands by unscrupulous herders wey never stop despite several lamentations, warnings and steps wey dem take.’
He stress say one prominent farmer for Ondo State, Dr. Eddy Olafeso, wey own 10 hectares of land wey dey produce cassava, cocoa, yam, plantain and other crops, lament say im don abandon im farmland mainly becos of insecurity.
Mallam Shitu Kabir, President of Cowpea and Beans Farmers Association of Nigeria and Vice President of Federation of Agricultural Commodities Association, state say production of these commodities don drop by almost 70 percent at least for North.
Ajayi assert say di reports from various parts of di country dey paint picture of bleak agricultural practices and risks of hunger for di coming months if insecurity no quick put under control.
Di group, however, commend President Bola Tinubu on im latest directive wey say make dem formulate comprehensive National Threat Assessment and a rolling five-year Strategic Defence Operations Plan within 90 days, for purpose of strengthening coordination across Nigeria’s defence, intelligence and security capabilities.
Among di multi-layered formulae wey Afenifere give for resolving banditry for Nigeria na combination of robust military action, tighter border control, strong community policing, stoppage to di incentives wey dey drive kidnapping, as well as di need for communities.
Other steps wey dem suggest make dem work on na economic reforms to enhance purchasing power of di people, reduction for high costs of items and services, as well as ensuring say greater attention dey paid to di seeming ‘ungoverned spaces’, while stringent sanctions dey brought much more quickly upon those wey dem catch for act of banditry.
Pending di establishment of state police, Afenifere call on South-west governors to strengthen Amotekun by increasing im personnel, provide am with modern communication tools, operational vehicles and surveillance drones; enforce anti-open grazing laws.
Dem further urge di governors to form specialised rangers’ units to clear and patrol thick forest reserves wey criminals dey use as hideouts; integrate local hunters and vigilante groups into information-sharing networks and encourage modern ranching.
Dem also suggest di setting up of joint security checkpoints along porous state borders to check incoming armed groups.
