Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has raised a grave alarm over the escalating attacks and kidnappings targeting farmers across the South-West, warning that the region is on the brink of a severe food crisis if urgent action is not taken. In a statement issued on Friday, August 21, 2026, the organisation's National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, expressed deep concern over what he described as incessant attacks on farmers and other innocent citizens, citing a series of recent incidents that paint a bleak picture for agricultural productivity in the region. The group warned that the growing insecurity is not only threatening lives and property but is also discouraging agricultural investment, reducing food production, worsening unemployment and deepening poverty across the region.
Among the specific incidents cited by Afenifere are the killing of a female farmer in Ondo State, the abduction of a 33-year-old poultry farmer, Mr Ooreoluwa Osonuga, in Ikenne, Ogun State, and the killing of four farmers in the Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State. The organisation also expressed grave concern over the continued captivity of Honourable Debo Farounbi, who was abducted in Ora, Osun State, on June 9, 2026. According to Afenifere, sources claimed that the abductors had refused to release Farounbi despite the alleged payment of a N30 million ransom and were instead demanding additional money and motorcycles. Ajayi said the incidents cited were only some of the reported cases, adding that several similar attacks were taking place in different parts of Yorubaland and other parts of Nigeria without being reported.
The organisation revealed that during its recent visits to the Oke-Ogun Area and northern part of Oyo and Ondo States respectively, some people lamented that they have abandoned their farms for three major reasons. "First, one is fear of being kidnapped; second is the serious fall in prices that farmers could sell their proceeds as middlemen/middle-women (known as 'Onibaranda') are standing between them and direct purchasers, while the third reason is grazing on farmlands by unscrupulous herders that have not stopped despite several lamentations, warnings and steps taken," the statement read. A prominent farmer in Ondo State, Dr Eddy Olafeso, who owns 10 hectares of land on which he produces cassava, cocoa, yam, plantain and other crops, lamented that he had abandoned his farmland mainly "because of insecurity".
Afenifere warned that the consequences of this insecurity are already being felt across the agricultural sector. The group recalled that the All Farmers Association of Nigeria had, in June 2026, disclosed that persistent abductions of farmers, farm workers and agribusiness investors in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states had discouraged investment, reduced agricultural productivity and endangered the livelihoods of thousands of farming families. An earlier report by The Guardian also indicated that banditry and herders' attacks had reduced agricultural-related activities in some parts of Yorubaland by about 40 per cent. Ajayi further noted that research reports by local and international bodies, including the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Bank, have highlighted how regional insecurity has deeply altered agricultural practices in the South-West.
The group stressed that the President of Cowpea and Beans Farmers Association of Nigeria and Vice President of Federation of Agricultural Commodities Association, Shitu Kabir, stated that production of these commodities has dropped by almost 70 per cent at least in the north. A former Chairman of Ondo State Agricultural Commodities Association, Olugbenga Obaweya, also harped on the risks that insecurity constitutes, noting that the difficulty in practicing farming safely not only puts food production at risk but also stands the chance of heightening unemployment as a lot of people who are engaged in agricultural-related businesses may be forced out of business.
While commending President Bola Tinubu's recent directive for a comprehensive National Threat Assessment and a rolling five-year Strategic Defence Operations Plan to strengthen coordination across Nigeria's defence, intelligence and security capabilities, Afenifere urged the authorities to deploy the same sagacity used in the recent rescue of abducted students and teachers in Oyo and Borno States to rescue those still in captivity and prevent further attacks. The organisation also called for a combination of stronger military action, tighter border control, effective community policing, improved economic conditions and an end to incentives encouraging kidnapping. Specifically, Afenifere urged the six South-West governors to strengthen the Amotekun security network pending the establishment of state police by increasing its personnel and providing modern communication equipment, operational vehicles and surveillance drones. It further advocated the enforcement of anti-open grazing laws and the establishment of specialised units to secure farms and communities.
Afenifere's warning comes amid growing concerns over the infiltration of bandits and terrorists into the South-West, with forests and porous border corridors across Oyo, Osun, Ogun and Ekiti states becoming major infiltration routes. The organisation's call for urgent action underscores the gravity of the situation, as the region faces the dual threat of insecurity and a looming food crisis that could have devastating consequences for millions of Nigerians.
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