The kidnap and release of Dayo Adewole, son of ex-Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, from his farm last week Tuesday, made News largely for the high profile nature of the victim. What did not make the News is the rise in the incidence of victims being taken from farms and the effect of this on food security.
According to a report by The Nation, soldiers, police officers, local hunters, and other security agencies worked together in the trail of the kidnappers. The victim regained his freedom in less than the crucial 48 hours.
According to the Acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, not less than 685 people had been kidnapped between January and April. This means about 5 or 6 persons are kidnapped every day in Nigeria on the average. All of these reported cases alone.
In 2017, Daily Trust reported that farmers, especially those on large-scale, are keeping away from their farms owing to the activities of kidnappers, consequently posing threat to commercial farming in Nigeria. Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, says he fears there will be a serious food crisis later this year because the fear of kidnapping is keeping so many farmers from their fields.
The threat is not only on the wealthy owners of big farms but also on smaller farmers and the staff of bigger farms.
“People, especially my workers, are begging me to return to the farm but I won’t because I can’t guarantee their security. God forbid, if any of them gets kidnapped, how will I get the money those people usually asked for?” A farm owner with 80 hectares of irrigated farms, more than 300 cows, sheep and Fisheries says.
Increased participation in Agriculture has drawn the elites to rural areas with fewer security apparatus.
Former Finance Minister, Olu Falae was kidnapped on his farm in Akure in 2015. In 2017, Usaini Akwanga, Minister for Labour and Productivity, was also kidnapped on his farm, in Nassarawa. A former Chairman, Akure North Local Government Area, Ondo State, Mr. Dele Fagoriola, was also taken from his farm in December 2018.
Former Chief of Defense Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh was murdered on his way back from his farm last year. Earlier in 2016, kidnappers, armed with three AK47 and rifles, one pump-action rifle, nine magazines and 270 rounds of live ammunition, abducted two farm owners and killed the managers of the farm after collecting 22 million Naira in ransom.
The Secretary of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Muhammad Idris, put these in some numbers saying,
“Over 350 farmers have been affected as a result of the banditry in Danko/Wasagu, Argungu, Yauri, Ngaski, Zuru and Birnin Kebbi local government areas (alone). Our members, especially rice farmers, have stopped going to their farmlands in those areas for fear of being kidnapped or killed.”
Rice farmers in Zamfara State have also reported that kidnappers tax them before granting them access to their farms.
In Nigeria, farming is mostly done in relatively isolated areas with less security infrastructure.
