Rising bandit attacks claim lives of 229 children, leave 886 missing

Increasing bold attacks by bandits caused pain for several families in 2024 as about 886 children went missing and 229 lost their lives.

A recent report by the research firm, SBM Intelligence titled, ‘Caught in the Crossfire: The Forgotten Plight of Nigeria’s Children Amidst Rising Insecurity,’ highlighted how 23 states in the country suffered from banditry attacks last year that led to 886 children going missing and 229 murdered in the period.

The report listed banditry, armed robbery, arson, communal clashes, bomb explosions, stampedes, Fulani herdsmen and other attacks, as leading causes of the kidnap and death toll amongst children in the period.

About 294 children went missing and 31 children were killed in Katsina in the period, according to the report. Also, the North had the highest rate of attacks for both kidnap and death cases, followed by southern states like Edo and Akwa Ibom, and middle belts like Benue – all top food-producing states.

This reiterates previous reports by SMB Intelligence that paint how the north is fast becoming a hotspot for banditry attacks inflicting pain on farmers and locals, including children.

In an analysis of various reports by the research firm, BusinessDay found that between 2020 and 2024, farmers paid about N1.19 billion as levies to bandits to save their lives.

The highest amount was paid by northern farmers, who have been battling constant herder clashes and bandit raids on their farms in the last five years.

Experts believe the insecurity situation in the country is not only a national crisis but also a growing threat to regional and global food security.

“I do not doubt these numbers. They might even be more. The truth is these numbers might even be conservative,” said Abiodun Olorundero, managing partners at Prasinos Farms in an earlier interview with BusinessDay.

According to Olorundero, the government needs to invest in protecting the lives of not just farmers but also members of society and the state. “The government needs to recruit local security personnel.”

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) reports a stark decline in planting and harvesting cycles, with staple crops like maize, rice, and millet experiencing critical shortages.

Insecurity has also led to an alarming spike in food prices, compounding the nation’s economic difficulties. Food prices are rising geometrically while food production is growing at a numerical progression.

Last year, prices of major food staples like rice, garri, beans, yams, eggs, and bread rose above 100 per cent.

Children in Africa’s most populous nation who are already burdened with malnutrition, now also bear the brunt of herders-farmers clashes and all forms of insecurity plaguing the country.

During the festivities in December, over 67 children lost their lives while trying to scamper for food palliatives.

Three conflict-hit northeastern states – Borno, Yobe and Adamawa – are forecast to be hardest hit by hunger in 2025, according to findings by the World Food Programme (WFP). Others, including restive Katsina State, are emerging as new hunger hotspots, WFP notes.

In its 2024 report, the Global Hunger Trend notes that about 18 per cent of children in Nigeria are malnourished, 31.5 per cent have stunted growth due to an unbalanced diet, 6.5 per cent are wasted and 10,7 per cent die before their fifth birthdays.

“Insecurity is a national issue that has become a big problem for the country and agric industry,” Muda Yusuf, chief executive officer of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, said.