Kwara Farmers Quit Farms for Okada Business After Repeated Attacks, Traders Report Food Supply Drop
- Kwara farmers have abandoned their farmlands as insecurity pushed them to seek safety in Ilorin, the state capital
- Attacks by bandits and kidnappers forced the farmers to choose okada riding over risky farming
- Traders warned of rising food prices as deserted farms cut supplies from key producing areas
Local farmers from several communities in Kwara state have begun abandoning their farmlands due to worsening insecurity, raising fresh fears of food scarcity across the state.
Findings by Legit.ng showed that many farmers from Ifelodun, Ekiti, Lafiagi and Patigi local government areas have relocated to Ilorin, the state capital, where they now earn a living as commercial motorcycle riders, popularly known as okada operators.
Source: UGC
The farmers said persistent attacks by suspected bandits, kidnappers and armed herders have made farming increasingly dangerous, forcing them to choose survival over agriculture.
Attacks drive farmers from fields, prices surge
Speaking with Legit.ng, a rice farmer from Lafiagi, who identified himself simply as Musa, said he abandoned his farm after repeated threats and attacks in his community.
“Last year, we were attacked twice on our farm. They came with guns and asked for money. Some farmers were beaten, others ran into the bush. Since then, I have not returned to my farmland,” he said.
“If you don’t have money to give them, your life is at risk. That is why I came to Ilorin to do okada.”
Similarly, a farmer from Ifelodun local government, Mr Oladipo, said farming has become a gamble with life in many rural parts of Kwara.
“We used to go to the farm as early as 6am, but now nobody dares. Once you hear gunshots or see strange faces, everyone runs,” he explained.
“I invested everything I had in farming, but insecurity destroyed it. Riding an okada is not my dream, but at least I am alive.”
In Ekiti local government, several farming settlements have reportedly been deserted as residents relocate to safer towns.
A maize farmer, Mrs Peace, said women are also affected by the insecurity.
“They kidnap women too. Some of us stopped following our husbands to the farm,” she said.
“When farming stops, hunger will come. Already, food prices are going up.”
In Patigi, known for rice production along the River Niger, farmers said armed attacks and fear of abduction have drastically reduced farming activities.
Source: Getty Images
A community source, Ladi, warned that Kwara may soon face food shortages if the trend continues.
“These farmers produce rice, maize, yam and cassava that feed not just Kwara but neighbouring states,” he said.
“If farms are abandoned, there will be serious food scarcity.”
The impact of the mass exit from farming is already being felt in food markets across the state.
Traders at Oja Oba Market in Ilorin said prices of staple foods such as rice, maize and yams have increased significantly in recent months due to reduced local supply.
A trader who identified herself as Alhaja Ramota, whose shop is at the old Jumuah Mosque in Idi-ape, said supplies from Patigi and Lafiagi have dropped.
“Before, trucks of rice and maize came regularly from Lafiagi and Patigi,” she said.
She continued: “But these issues of kidnappings and attacks have made me, as a person, stop going there to buy foodstuffs. Most of the traders are now buying from towns in Oyo state and Niger state.”
Brazen daylight robbery terrifies Ilorin residents
In a related development, Legit.ng reported that a four‑man armed robbery gang trailed a motorist in Ilorin, Kwara state, and ambushed him in broad daylight, shooting at his vehicle and deflating tyres before seizing cash.
The assailants fled with millions of naira in an ash‑coloured Toyota Corolla, leaving the victim with a gunshot wound to his palm as shocked bystanders watched.
Kwara police urged residents to avoid carrying large sums of cash and boosted patrols across the metropolis as investigations into the brazen attack continue.
Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
