ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – The alarming predicament in Nigeria continues to worsen as relentless violent assaults on farmers by armed factions has worsened the food crisis in the country.
An alarming report from Save the Children reveals that a staggering 700,000 innocent children are on the precipice of succumbing to hunger-related fatalities.
During the initial half of 2023, a harrowing tally of over 128 farmers lost their lives to armed groups, while 37 others were mercilessly kidnapped across the nation.
This wave of violence has proven catastrophic, leading to not only the disruption but also the displacement of livelihoods.
READ ALSO: AfDB President Reveals Nigeria Occupies 103rd Among 121 Countries Facing Hunger Crisis
The situation in Borno, a focal point of this unfolding tragedy, is especially grim. In a chilling statement, Save the Children highlights that a shocking 19 farmers fell victim to non-state armed entities in June alone.
The Nigerian Security Tracker corroborates these grim statistics, underlining the detrimental impact of these events on vital food supplies, which in turn threatens to plunge Nigeria into a severe food crisis this year.
Bulama, a seasoned farmer hailing from the North-East, bares witness to the horrors faced by his community. “Time and again, armed groups have launched attacks on us while we toil in our fields.
“These fellow farmers, our comrades and kin, are abducted for ransom – often an amount beyond the means of any villager.”
Bulama further laments, “Our fields are pillaged, our crops stolen, rendering us destitute and bereft. Starvation and want have gripped our community, the aftermath of insurgents denying us access to our own lands and robbing us blind.”
READ ALSO: Residents Cry Out For Help As Hunger, Sickness Hit IDP Camp In Niger
As of January, a grave projection by the United Nations foresees that over 25 million Nigerians may confront food insecurity in 2023, marking a staggering 47 per cent surge from the already dire predicament of 17 million individuals who were previously at risk due to insecurity and conflict.
In the northeastern states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, the heart-wrenching plight deepens as over two million children below the age of five teeter on the brink of acute malnutrition, with a heart-rending 700,000 youngsters facing an imminent threat of death in this very year.
The crisis at hand demands immediate action and collective efforts to avert an impending catastrophe.