Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Ruth .J
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has raised fresh concerns over worsening insecurity in northern Nigeria, warning that armed bandits are no longer only imposing illegal taxes on farmers before allowing them access to their farmlands but are also demanding payments before harvested crops can be removed, a development the group says is worsening food insecurity across the region.
Speaking on Friday, July 10, 2026, National Publicity Secretary of the ACF, Professor Tukur Mohammed Baba, said the organisation was not surprised by the recent warning issued by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) over the escalating hunger crisis in northern Nigeria. He stated that the forum had repeatedly drawn attention to the severe socio-economic challenges confronting communities across the region and urged the Federal Government to tackle the root causes of insecurity.
Professor Baba explained that many farming communities are now operating under constant fear as armed groups continue to control large rural areas, forcing farmers to pay illegal levies before cultivating their land and, in many cases, before transporting harvested produce. According to him, the situation has significantly reduced agricultural activities, increased food prices and threatened livelihoods across northern Nigeria.
He stressed that addressing insecurity must remain the government's top priority, arguing that restoring state authority in rural communities is essential to reviving agricultural production and preventing a deeper humanitarian crisis. He added that demonstrating the supremacy of the state over criminal groups would encourage displaced farmers to return to their farms.
The ACF's concerns align with recent assessments by the World Food Programme, which warned on July 2, 2026, that conflict and shrinking humanitarian assistance have pushed northern Nigeria into its worst food security crisis in nearly a decade. The agency reported that more than 17 million people across conflict-affected northern states are experiencing crisis, emergency or catastrophic levels of hunger as violence continues to disrupt farming activities and humanitarian access.
Recent reports from conflict-affected communities indicate that armed groups operating in parts of north-west and north-central Nigeria have increasingly imposed illegal taxes on farmers, while persistent attacks, kidnappings and extortion have forced many rural residents to abandon their farms altogether, reducing food production and worsening economic hardship.
The ACF renewed its appeal for stronger security operations, improved protection for farming communities and coordinated measures to restore agricultural activities, insisting that ending insecurity remains the most effective solution to Nigeria's growing food crisis.
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