A recent report released by SB Morgen Intelligence projects that between June and August 2024, more than 26 million Nigerians will suffer from food scarcity.
The record showed that the most vulnerable victims would be residents of the northwestern and northeastern regions of the country.
The document said, “Almost 26.5 million people – about 11.5 percent of Nigeria’s estimated population – are likely to be in crisis stage 3 or worse acute food insecurity sometime in June-August 2024 at the peak of the country’s lean season, the time when food is most abundant.
“This project consists of nearly 5.4 million people in Nigeria’s northwestern states of Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara, and nearly 4.4 million people in the northeastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.
According to the report, the anticipated food shortage is due to extortion schemes used by the bandits, particularly the imposition of pre-harvest payments on local farmers in the region, which has recently affected by farmers’ productivity.
The document continued: “Unlike a fixed interest rate, bandits pay fees primarily based on performance, increasing the financial burden on farmers seeking corruption.
“This form of extortion, similar to taxation, depends on territorial control. As bandits seeking greater control over territories and income streams, they can also initiate territorial disputes and clashes among themselves and with local communities and security forces.
Thus, farming, which was once a necessary livelihood for many villagers, may lose its charm due to heavy taxation.
Many farmers in the neighborhood may abandon farming altogether in search of an alternative source of livelihood.
“This viable change should encourage gangs to take over more territory, further criminalizing agricultural practices and threatening food security.”
