Arewa Economic Forum: Terrorism, Banditry Threat to Food Security in Nigeria

Ikechukwu Aleke in Abuja

A coalition of Northern political, and economic leaders, Arewa Economic Forum (AEF), yesterday, said terrorism, banditry and other sundry crimes in Northern Nigeria were threats to food security.

Chairman of AEF, Ibrahim Shehu, said this at a press conference in Abuja.

 He disclosed that over 60 per cent of arable land in the north had not been cultivated by farmers in the past five years due to fear, occasioned by terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, farmers/herders crisis and other emerging security threats in the region.

AEF, also called on the federal government to provide adequate security to farmers in the north to prevent the looming hunger that has the propensity to ignite further crisis in Nigeria.

While commending the effort of the agro rangers and the troops in providing security to farmers in the country, the chairman said more was required from government in terms of security to avert the looming danger of food shortage.

Shehu further urged the central government to create safe enclaves for cattle rearing in the country to forestall the rampant rustling of cattle by rustlers in the country.

He also appealed to government at all levels to revisit the grazing reserves created by colonial administration and lawfully gazetted, with a view to providing the requisite amenities needed for its successful implementation.

He, however, noted that if something was not done urgently, the impending famine would unsettle the country.

On cost of protein, he said, “everybody knows what had happened to the cattle rearing industry’s over this period of time, from the time we started having insurgency and Boko Haram, cattle rustling has been there for more than 15 years. We are proposing for safe enclaves for cattle rearing. The first victims of banditry are cattle rearers.”