FG deploys agro-rangers to combat insecurity in farms across Nigeria

• Published On: 12 August 2024 at 18:53

The Federal Government, through the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, has announced the deployment of 10,000 agricultural rangers across the country.

This is part of an effort to reduce insecurity in the country's food-producing belt, which has recently had a negative impact on food production.

Olusegun Dada, Special Assistant to President Tinubu on New Media, disclosed this in a post on his official X handle.

According to the statement, the agro-rangers initiative is a collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), with the goal of protecting farmers from malicious land destruction and farmer-herder conflict.

The post reads, "As part of ongoing efforts to improve food security in the Northern region and other parts of the country, the FG, through the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), has deployed over 10,000 Agro Rangers across 19 states and the FCT."

"The Agro Rangers will, among other things, protect farmlands and farmers from escalating attacks, mediate conflicts between farmers and herders, and prevent farmland destruction. While the country's food inflation crisis is caused by a variety of factors, insecurity has been a long-standing issue, and this collaboration between the NSCDC and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is expected to address a major challenge faced by farmers across the country."

The deployment of agro-rangers follows the federal government's earlier intentions, expressed through the National Economic Council (NEC) in February of this year, to establish agro-rangers as a short-term solution to the country's insecurity until a long-term solution of state police is implemented.

Widespread insecurity, particularly in the northern region, has forced many farmers to abandon their holdings, resulting in a significant drop in food output and contributing to rising food prices throughout the country. Last week, attacks on farming communities in Benue State, known as the country's food basket, resulted in the tragic deaths of nearly 20 people.

Food inflation hit 40.87% in July 2024. In response, the federal government has proposed establishing state police units. This idea, however, cannot be carried out solely through presidential directives or parliamentary acts from the National Assembly, despite the fact that the law establishing state police has already passed its second reading.