Fresh attacks keep Plateau, Benue farmers off fields, as bloodshed escalates

….Over 1.5 million displaced

For years, Plateau and Benue states—two of Nigeria’s major food-producing states—have witnessed recurring attacks by armed groups, leaving behind a trail of deaths, displacement and destruction. Beyond the heavy human toll, the violence has steadily eroded agricultural activities, forcing many residents to abandon their farms and livelihoods.

The persistent insecurity has significantly affected food production across the North-Central region. Communities known for producing maize, yam, rice, cassava, potatoes, vegetables and other staple crops have repeatedly suspended farming as attacks intensified during both planting and harvesting seasons.

Experts have consistently warned that continued violence in the region poses a serious threat to Nigeria’s food security.

Professor Mathias Eneji of the Department of Economics, University of Jos, said the situation has become one of the gravest threats to the country’s economic development, especially in terms of investment confidence and agriculture.

According to him, persistent insecurity has the potential to reduce productivity, growth potential and foreign direct investments.

He warned that beyond local disruptions, insecurity is driving inflation, reducing consumption, and increasing poverty, thereby creating a cycle of economic hardship that requires urgent government intervention.

The latest attacks in Plateau and Benue have renewed those concerns. Coming at the height of the 2026 rainy season, when farmers are expected to be cultivating their fields, the killings have raised fears that another farming cycle could be disrupted, with the consequences likely to be felt in food markets across Nigeria later this year.

Fear silences farmlands in Plateau

The latest attack in Plateau State has reinforced fears among rural communities that venturing onto farmlands could prove fatal.

In Riyom Local Government Area, armed attackers reportedly invaded Wereng-Camp and Kum communities, killing nine members of a single family in a night attack that shocked residents. The village head was also critically injured.

The Berom Youth Moulders-Association (BYM), in a statement signed by Rwang Tengwong, its national Publicity Secretary and made available to Journalists in Jos, said the attack began at about 11:00 p.m. on Saturday and lasted for more than an hour into the early hours of Sunday, alleging that the assailants came from the Fass area, described as a terrorist enclave around Jol Community.

“The attack claimed the lives of nine members of a single family, while Pam Yohanna, 40, sustained life-threatening injuries and is currently battling for his life after the coordinated assault,” the statement said.

“It is another painful reminder of the recurring attacks that continue to claim innocent lives across Plateau State and other parts of North-Central Nigeria, with entire families wiped out, villages invaded, homes destroyed and thousands displaced,” the association added.

The victims were identified as Celina James, 38; Yohanna James, 21; Janet Yohanna, 18; Baby Jennifer Yohanna, three months; Sele James, 18; Melody James, 16; Reto James, 10; Endurance James, 8; and Peace James, 3.

BYM expressed concern over what it described as a sustained pattern of attacks targeting predominantly Christian farming communities, saying the frequency of the violence, rising civilian casualties and destruction of homes and livelihoods require urgent action by security agencies.

The association called on the Federal Government to intensify efforts to protect vulnerable communities, dismantle criminal hideouts, arrest and prosecute those responsible for the attacks, and provide humanitarian assistance to victims and displaced persons.

It also appealed to the international community, including the United Nations, the United States, the African Union, the European Union, ECOWAS, international human rights organisations, faith-based institutions and diplomatic missions, to pay closer attention to the worsening humanitarian and security situation in North-Central Nigeria.

According to the statement, there is an urgent need for independent monitoring and investigation of the recurring attacks, increased humanitarian support for affected communities and sustained engagement with Nigerian authorities to ensure the protection of civilians and accountability for perpetrators.

Although the immediate tragedy is measured in lives lost, its economic impact could linger long after the mourning ends. Many residents depend almost entirely on farming, and the attacks have left families questioning whether they can safely return to their fields during the peak of the planting season.

Across several rural communities in Plateau, farmers are reportedly limiting cultivation to plots close to their homes, while others have abandoned farming altogether for fear of fresh attacks. The decision, though painful, reflects the growing belief that no harvest is worth the risk of losing one’s life.

Plateau remains one of Nigeria’s major producers of Irish potatoes, maize, vegetables and other food crops supplied to markets across Nigeria and beyond. A prolonged disruption of farming activities could reduce output and affect food availability beyond the state.

Community leaders and agricultural stakeholders say protecting farming communities has become just as important as providing fertilisers, improved seedlings and other farming inputs.

John Wuyep, the chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Plateau State chapter, told BusinessDay recently that “the insecurity is certainly affecting our members. Many farmers in areas like Bokkos and other regions are unable to go to their farms alone.

“They now have to go along with agro-rangers for safety. This situation has definitely impacted productivity. Farmers are losing out, but there is at least some encouragement now.

The losses for our members are significant, not only because of insecurity but also due to climate change. For example, last year’s rainfall pattern was very poor, especially in the southern parts,” Wuyep said.

An agricultural economist in the Plateau State Ministry of Agriculture who spoke to BusinessDay on the condition of anonymity warned that the continued attacks could significantly reduce this year’s harvest if farmers are unable to return to their land.

“This wave of insecurity is likely going to lead to low harvest at the end of the day because it will be very hard to match demand against supply. Hence, there will be food scarcity,” he said.

1.5m displaced, Benue farmers flee farms

The continued mass displacement of Benue farmers and abandonment of farmlands due to unprovoked attacks by armed men suspected to be herdsmen is now threatening Nigeria’s food security.

Benue State, Nigeria’s food basket, has in the last one month, during the peak of the 2026 planting season, witnessed sustained attacks by armed men suspected to be marauding herdsmen.

The attacks have killed over 40 farmers, left scores with varying degrees of injuries, while many others remain missing.

The killings have also forced the permanent closure of several village markets where farmers used to bring new crops for sale.

Traders who previously travelled from far and near to patronise farmers have also stopped coming. Many of them, residents say, were ambushed and killed while buying produce in rural markets.

In most of the affected communities, economic trees, houses, schools, health centres and standing crops have been set ablaze by the attackers.

Statistics from the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, through Tema Ager, the information officer, indicate that over 1.5 million farmers have been displaced across 17 out of the 23 Local Government Areas in the state.

As a result, surviving farmers are now limited to subsistence farming, cultivating only enough to feed their immediate families.

In some cases, young farmers who were breadwinners of their families have been killed, leaving the elderly behind. Others who survived the attacks are living with permanent disabilities that have rendered them unable to work.

Governor Hyacinth Alia has directed security agencies to immediately pursue, arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of the Sunday killings in Otukpo Local Government Area.

In a telephone interview, community members Lawrence Akerigba, Eche Adah of Otukpo-Nobi, and others from Anyiase and Ikyoawen communities in Kwande LGA lamented that farmers are no longer going to farms due to persistent attacks.

According to them, “The herders usually come in their numbers on motorcycles at odd hours, when everybody is asleep, on the farm, or in the market.”

“We are appealing to government at all levels to come to the aid of affected communities, especially those in hospital. Some are in critical condition and need referrals,” they added.

Following the sustained attacks, Governor Alia has vowed that his administration will not allow any community in the state to be turned into a killing field.

He also ordered the deployment of additional personnel and resources to affected communities and border areas, and directed security agencies to liaise with their counterparts in neighbouring states to intensify surveillance and patrols.

For many rural residents in Plateau and Benue, however, the priority remains simple: the freedom to return safely to their farms.

As the planting season progresses, every week lost to insecurity narrows the opportunity for a good harvest.