Killings and abductions of farmers in Wasagu, Kebbi State and targeted kidnappings in Aguata, Nnewi and Awka in Anambra State are raising fresh food security risks across Nigeria, according to a new report by SBM Intelligence.
In Wasagu, the report said the killing of one farmer and abduction of four others is likely to paralyse farming activities for the coming month as many farmers abandon their land for urban areas such as the state capital.
The report warned that repeated violence could force wider abandonment of farmland, undermining Kebbi’s role as a key rice-producing belt.
In the Southeast, the report flagged a heightened risk of targeted surveillance and soft-target abductions of business figures and wealthy agrarian communities in Anambra over the next month.
The SBM report linked the trend to the emergence of high-value kidnapping as a lucrative model for criminal gangs, a development it said threatens both commercial hubs and agricultural output in Aguata, Nnewi and Awka LGAs.
