The commencement of the 2026 farming season has brought renewed anxiety to many farming communities across northern Nigeria, as persistent bandit attacks and illegal levies continue to deny thousands of farmers access to their farmlands.
Across Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, Yobe and other states battling armed banditry, what should be a season of planting and hope has instead become one of fear, displacement and uncertainty, raising fresh concerns over the country’s food security.
In Katsina State, residents of Kwandawa community in Malumfashi Local Government Area were reportedly ordered by armed bandits in June to either pay a N20 million levy or abandon their homes and farmlands. The demand was allegedly made in retaliation for the killing of one of the gang’s members.
Similarly, in Sokoto State, residents of about 26 communities in Sabon Birni Local Government Area reportedly began raising funds to pay fresh levies imposed by bandits after the armed groups barred them from accessing their farms ahead of the planting season.
According to reports, the bandits issued a three-day ultimatum, warning farmers to stay away from their farmlands until the payments were made.
In another incident, armed groups operating in parts of Kano and Katsina states were said to have demanded as much as N50,000 per acre from sugarcane farmers before allowing them to harvest their crops. The criminal groups were also reported to have established parallel systems of control in several forest reserves across the region.
The escalating insecurity has heightened fears of a decline in agricultural production and a worsening food crisis across the country.
Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kano State chapter, Abdullahi Ali Mai Biredi, warned that the continued attacks on farmers pose a serious threat to Nigeria’s food supply, stressing that smallholder farmers remain the backbone of the nation’s agricultural production.
“These small-scale farmers producing 10 to 15 bags are the ones providing food for Nigeria, not those who produce 500 to 1,000 bags,” he said.
Mai Biredi noted that preventing farmers from cultivating their land would inevitably reduce food production and worsen food insecurity.
“If these farmers cannot go to their farms because of insecurity, there will be a shortage of food, and food scarcity causes problems,” he said.
He further warned that food shortages could fuel further insecurity across the country.
Despite the challenges, the AFAN chairman acknowledged improvements in security in some farming communities, commending the government and security agencies for efforts to secure agricultural areas.
“We must thank the government and security personnel because they were ready to ensure security in some of the areas plagued by insecurity that prevents farming,” he said.
According to him, farming activities have resumed in some border communities between Kano and Katsina states, where many farmers have already begun preparing their land for cultivation.
Mai Biredi also urged the government to address the underlying causes of insecurity, saying lasting peace would require tackling the grievances fueling the crisis.
“These people causing insecurity, we pray to God to make them better people. If they have a problem, the government should ensure it looks into their complaints because insecurity has caused huge damage in Nigeria,” he added.
Efforts to obtain comments from the Katsina State Ministries of Agriculture, Information and Internal Security were unsuccessful, as the ministries had yet to respond at the time this report was filed.
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