Farmers in Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara and Other States Face Extortion Amid Rising Insecurity
As the 2026 farming season begins, many farmers across northern Nigeria are grappling with insecurity and extortion by armed bandits, raising fresh concerns over food production and availability across the country.
Communities in states including Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara and Yobe have reportedly been forced to pay illegal levies to gain access to their farmlands, The News Edition reports.
In Katsina State, residents of Kwandawa community in Malumfashi Local Government Area were reportedly ordered by bandits to pay a N20 million levy or abandon their homes and farms. The demand was allegedly linked to the killing of one of the criminals’ members.
Similarly, residents of about 26 communities in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State were said to have begun contributing money to meet fresh levies imposed by armed groups, who reportedly barred farmers from accessing their farmlands ahead of the planting season.
Reports also indicated that farmers in parts of Kano and Katsina states were forced to pay as much as N50,000 per acre before harvesting sugarcane, highlighting what observers describe as a growing system of parallel control in some rural communities.
The Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kano State chapter, Abdullahi Ali Mai Biredi, warned that continued attacks and restrictions on farming activities could worsen food shortages across Nigeria.
According to him, small-scale farmers remain the backbone of the country’s food supply, and preventing them from cultivating their land poses a serious threat to national food security.
Mai Biredi noted that while insecurity remains a major challenge, recent improvements in security operations have enabled farming activities to resume in some communities along the Kano-Katsina border.
He called on the government to sustain security efforts and address the underlying causes of violence to safeguard food production and rural livelihoods.
The growing insecurity in farming communities has intensified concerns over rising food prices and the country’s ability to meet domestic food demand in the coming months.