A former Governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, has opened up about the harrowing experience of being driven away from his expansive 10,000-hectare farm in Kaduna State by bandits.
In a recent interview, Bafarawa expressed his deep concern over the escalating insecurity in the northern region of Nigeria.
Recalling the ordeal, Bafarawa lamented,
“I used to have farmland, which is over 10,000 hectares in Birni Gwari of Kaduna State. I have been cultivating that land since 1979, but I cannot reach there now because of the bandits.
“The maize I produced that time is in commercial quantity that, I used part of it for my flour mill which is also out of production. The issue of insecurity is behind the high cost of food items because many farmers have been displaced,” the former governor told newsmen.
The menace of banditry in the Northeast and Northwest regions has significantly contributed to the current food crisis, with food inflation reaching an alarming 31.70%, according to March figures from the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics.
Experts have labeled the situation as an emergency, underscoring the urgent need for intervention.
Despite sounding the alarm about the impending food insecurity in the country, Bafarawa lamented that his warnings to the Federal Government went unheeded.
“There was a time I warned the federal government about the impending food insecurity in the country, but my advice was ignored,” he revealed.
In light of the escalating crisis, Bafarawa called for concerted efforts between the federal, state, and local governments to address insecurity, particularly in the northern region.
“The state governments cannot do it alone without the support of the Federal Government,” he stressed, advocating for a unified approach to tackle the root causes of insecurity and restore peace and stability to the region.