Insecurity in Northern Nigeria Blamed for Food Shortages, Former Governor Urges Action

News in Brief: - Insecurity, particularly in northern Nigeria, is hindering farmers' access to land and causing food shortages, according to a former governor. - He has urged federal and state governments to collaborate on improving security to tackle food scarcity. A former governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, has claimed that insecurity across Nigeria, particularly in the north, is a major cause of food scarcity in the country. He made the comments while speaking to journalists in Sokoto and argued that farmers are unable to access their land due to violence and unrest, limiting agricultural production. [caption id="attachment_9527" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Insecurity contributes to food scarcity, with bandits demanding levies from farmers before harvest in especially Northern Nigeria[/caption] In the same vein, he called on the government especially at the federal level to address the issue. Bafarawa added that he was personally affected by the dire situation of insecurity as he couldn’t access his own farm in the state. The former governor is reported to own a 10,000-hectare farm along the Birnin Gwari/Kaduna axis, that had been operational since 1979. Meantime, the former governor's claims are supported by data from the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), which indicates that millions of Nigerians are at risk of food insecurity due to violence in the north-east of the country. Bafarawa encouraged collaboration between federal and state governments to improve security across the country. He explained that both levels of government need to work together despite the launch of regional security initiatives.