SBM Intelligence, an Africa-focused geopolitical research business, released a report titled “Levies or Lives: The Dilemma of Farmers in Northern Nigeria.”
According to the report, the robbers levied a total of N224.9 million in levies, which farmers must pay before they may access their farmlands.
According to a different allegation, farmers in Kaduna’s local government area paid over N400 million in fees to bandits for farming and harvesting their produce.
“To access their farmlands and harvest their harvests, farmers must now pay levies to bandits. This practice, which began about 2019, has been increasingly common in succeeding years, notably during the past farming season. As a result, millions of naira have been channeled to criminal organizations through this move towards farming taxation.”
“Those who resist these demands face severe consequences, including abduction, murder or confiscation of their produce,” according to the report.
In addition to illegally exacting fees on farmers, bandits have become increasingly directly involved in agricultural enterprises. The bandits seize farmers’ lands and coerce villagers to cultivate them. As if that wasn’t enough, the bandits continue to force people to harvest and sell farm produce in order to profit, according to the report.
The decade-long crisis has caused significant hardship in rural villages, as residents are increasingly susceptible to terrorist attacks.
As a result, the increased frequency of targeted attacks on farmers and rural communities has exacerbated the threat to Nigeria’s food security.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that the headline inflation rate reached 29.90% in January. Food inflation increased to 35.41 percent from 33.93 percent the previous month, accounting for 50 percent of overall inflation.
Many Nigerians argue that the inflation estimates do not correctly reflect current economic or market reality. For example, rice, an essential commodity in Nigeria, recently reached a record high of N80,000 and is now selling for around N75,000. This represents a significant improvement from the N50,000 recorded in December 2023.
The country’s current insecurity situation may exacerbate the food crisis.
Approximately 26.5 million people, or 11.5% of Nigeria’s estimated population, are expected to face crisis conditions—phase 3 or worse acute food insecurity—during the peak of the country’s upcoming June-to-August 2024 lean season, when food is most scarce.
