Afenifere Raises Alarm Over Insecurity, Abduction of Farmers in Southwest

…The pan-Yoruba group says insecurity is forcing farmers to abandon their farms, threatening food production and livelihoods across the region.

The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has raised the alarm over the increasing attacks and abduction of farmers and other innocent citizens across the Southwest.

The organisation cited recent incidents, including the killing of a female farmer in Ondo State, the abduction of 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.

It also expressed concern over the continued captivity of Hon. 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 N30 million, and were demanding additional money and motorcycles.

Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, disclosed this in a statement, noting that several similar incidents across Yorubaland and other parts of Nigeria remained unreported.
Ajayi said the situation was having a devastating impact on agriculture, as many farmers were abandoning their farms due to fear of kidnapping, ransom demands and violent attacks.

He recalled that the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN, had in June warned that persistent abductions of farmers, farm workers and agribusiness investors in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo States were discouraging investment, reducing agricultural productivity and threatening the livelihoods of thousands of farming families.

According to him, reports of banditry and herders’ attacks had also contributed to a significant decline in agricultural activities in parts of Yorubaland.
Ajayi said during recent visits to Oke-Ogun and parts of northern Oyo and Ondo States, residents identified insecurity as one of the major reasons for abandoning their farms.

He added that falling farm-gate prices and the activities of middlemen, as well as open grazing by some herders, were other major challenges confronting farmers.

He quoted a prominent Ondo farmer, Dr. Eddy Olafeso, who owns a 10-hectare farm where he produces cassava, cocoa, yam and plantain, as saying he had abandoned the farm mainly because of insecurity.

The Afenifere spokesman warned that continued insecurity could worsen food shortages, increase unemployment and push up the prices of agricultural produce, while also creating conditions that could encourage criminal activities.

He further noted that research and reports by organisations such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation, FAO, and the World Bank had highlighted the damaging effects of insecurity on agricultural activities and livelihoods.

Ajayi therefore commended President Bola Tinubu for directing the formulation of a comprehensive National Threat Assessment and a five-year Strategic Defence Operations Plan aimed at strengthening coordination among the country’s defence, intelligence and security agencies.

He also commended security agencies for the recent rescue of abducted students and teachers in Oyo and Borno States, urging them to intensify efforts to rescue other citizens still in captivity and prevent further attacks.

To address insecurity, Afenifere called for a combination of stronger military action, tighter border control, effective community policing, improved economic conditions and an end to incentives encouraging kidnapping.

The organisation also urged the six Southwest 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, the establishment of specialised ranger units to patrol forest reserves being used as criminal hideouts, and the integration of local hunters and vigilante groups into community-based intelligence networks.

Afenifere also called for modern ranching and the establishment of joint security checkpoints along porous state borders, stressing that persons riding in groups on motorcycles, particularly those carrying arms, should be subjected to thorough security checks.