By Our Reporter
Most of the farmers in Northern part of the country who have been farming undisturbed by groups of bandits have been able to cultivate different crops during planting and harvesting season only after paying levies and getting permission from the bandits before they could get access to their farmland.
A new report by SM Morgan Intelligence revealed that farmers that failed in paying levies to bandits who are still in control of some remote areas in the region owing to absence of state security officials in many parts of the northern part of the country.
Farmers who failed to pay the levy imposed on them by the bandits risks forfeiture of their harvest which they have laboured for, abduction and death.
According to the report, there are different forms of payment paid to the bandits by these farmers. For eaxample, payment by farmers to the group of bandits depends on the type of crop to be planted by a farmer.
Those who are to plant crops that are expensive in the market are forced to pay higher levy than farmers who are to plant not too expensive crops.
The report made it clear that payment of levy to access farm for the planting season in the affected areas across the North could be in form of cash pre- or post planting season. It could also be from the proceeds of harvests during the harvest season.
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In Zamfara State, according to the report, farmers in some of the local government areas where bandits are still terrorizing residents, paid around N120,000 as farm levies to the bandits while guinea corn farmers were made to pay N50,000 levies.
The report stated that in Kaduna State, farmers in communities such as Sabon Layi, Sabon Birni, Kidandan and Ruma have been paying levies ranging from N70,000 to N100,000 to groups of bandits for permission to farm on their ancestral land, with additional payment required for harvesting.
Farmers who resist paying the levies imposed on them were said to usually face severe consequences, including abduction for ransom, confiscation of the farmer’s produce or outright death.
An unspecified number of farmers have been abducted for failure to pay levy to bandits and many have died as a result of mltreatment by the bandits. Consequently, many among the farmers have fled their home communities.
Compulsory payment of levy by farmers to groups of bandits in the North part of the country regarded as the major food basket of the nation, has led to non- availability of abundant farm produce which the north was known for not long ago. It led to high increase in food prices and further deters further investment in agricultural ventures in the country.
Hence, Nigerians have been battling a food security crisis with food inflation soaring to over 30% as of January 2024. Cadre Harmonise (CH), in its analysis on food crisis in the country, projected that around 26 million Nigerians will face hunger during the lean season of 2024 (June-August).
In addition to this fearful projection, in February, the World Bank, in its food security report, stated that seven states across Northern part of Nigeria, will experience severe food crisis in 2024.
