The Digest:
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has announced plans to deploy over 11,000 specially trained Agro-Rangers operatives nationwide to protect farmers ahead of the 2026 farming season. Spokesman Babawale Afolabi told Sunday PUNCH that Commandant-General Abubakar Audi has reaffirmed the agency's readiness to deploy personnel to farming areas following a wave of deadly attacks in 2025. "The security of farmers is our topmost priority; this culminates in the training and retraining of Special Agro-Rangers operatives numbering over 11,000 across the federation," Afolabi stated. The deployment comes after numerous attacks in 2025: 40 farmers killed by ISWAP/Boko Haram near Lake Chad in January, three kidnapped in Kogi in October, 10 farmers killed in Benue in November, four rice farmers abducted in Kwara, 13 female farmers kidnapped in Borno, 10 farmers abducted in Niger, and 20 onion farmers abducted in Borno in December. The NSCDC maintains partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to secure agricultural assets and mediate disputes.
Key Points
- The 11,000 Agro-Rangers deployment is a major response to escalating farmer attacks.
- The 2025 attacks spanned multiple states: Borno, Kogi, Plateau, Benue, Kwara, Niger.
- Women and youth farmers were specifically targeted, with 13 females aged 15-20 kidnapped.
- The attacks threaten food security and worsen inflation risks.
- The NSCDC calls for public intelligence gathering to support operations.
Sources: NSCDC Statement
