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‘Sack Farming’ initiative offers lifeline to women with disabilities in Nasarawa

Nurudeen AKEWUSHOLA

December 13, 2025

FOR many women with disabilities in Nasarawa State, traditional farming is almost impossible because of mobility challenges, limited access to land, and weak government support. In this report, the ICIR writes on how a farming initiative is helping the women grow food at home, and rebuild independence where the formal system has fallen short.

It was around noon, and the sun scorched the dusty road. Each turn of a passing vehicle lifted a cloud of red dust into the air as Asaba Aversion, a 42-year-old farmer with physical disability, manoeuvred her handcycle, carrying this reporter through the uneven path leading to her home in Gidi Gidi, Lafia Local Government Area (LGA) of Nasarawa State.

Earlier that day, Asaba and her husband, Gambo Anzaku, also physically challenged, had eaten wheat with vegetables and tomatoes from crops they planted in sacks within their compound. They did not have to go to the market. They did not have to beg anyone for help.

A few years ago, life was far more difficult for the couple. They often struggled to reach the market to buy food. Some areas were inaccessible to her handcycle, forcing Asaba to crawl along rough paths. On other days, they relied on neighbours for help, and when no one showed up, they went hungry.

That hardship has now eased. After learning sack farming, Asaba began planting crops such as yams, tomatoes, and vegetables within the comfort of her home. Today, she and her husband grow much of what they eat.

Asaba Aversion: “Sack farming allows me to grow food at home and feed my family without depending on anyone.” The ICIR/2025

Sitting in front of rows of sacks neatly lined across her yard, she explained how the process works.“First, I mix the soil and sand before putting them into sacks, using the right amount depending on what I want to plant,” she said. “If it’s tomatoes, we use a specific ratio. For sweet potatoes or yams, it’s different. They taught us how to measure everything properly.”

For her, sack farming solves a fundamental problem. Many women farmers with disabilities struggle with the mobility required for traditional farm work. Sack farming brings cultivation to their doorsteps and solves land access challenges. Even when the government provides farm inputs, many smallholder women farmers with disabilities cannot benefit due to a lack of land.

With sack farming, however, “you can plant right in your home,” she explained. “You can place the sack near your doorstep, water it in the morning and go about your day. Anytime you need vegetables, you simply pluck them.”

In Lafia, where she lives, many women in her community are into farming. They plant crops like yams, melons, and potatoes. But even though she possesses the skills and knowledge, Asaba’s condition has always served as a barrier. She had to pay labourers as high as N3,000 per ridge due to lack of government support for disability-friendly farm inputs.

She is one of the hundreds of women trained by Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation (GIFSEP), a non-profit organisation under the urban farming initiative. Launched in 2024, the sack farming initiative under the project empowers persons with disabilities, especially mobility impairments, by providing them with the skills and resources to cultivate staple crops within their homes.

The training, which targets mostly women, equips participants with practical knowledge to grow their own food and cushion the impact of the worsening food crisis. More than 400 women have been trained under the project, across Nasarawa, Adamawa, Benue States and the FCT under the initiative.

The team lead for the initiative, Michael David, spoke about the emotional and psychological impact of the project, saying it is a way of releasing emotions and depression. “Just because they are physically challenged does not mean they cannot add value to society,” David said. “They can grow food not only to feed themselves but also to feed the nation, especially at this time when the country is grappling with insecurity crises.”

Bridging inequality gap

Sack farming is not a new practice. It is a simple method adopted by many households across Nigeria. However, it requires some practical knowledge on how to plant, nurture and protect the crops from pests. In Nasarawa, it has become a lifeline for smallholder farmers living with disabilities, a group often excluded from access to land, farm inputs, and agricultural support.

The process is straightforward. Farmers fill sacks, usually used rice or fertiliser bags, with a mixture of soil, sand, and organic manure. The sacks are then arranged in small spaces around their homes or compounds, where they can plant a variety of crops such as tomatoes, peppers, yams, and leafy vegetables. With regular watering and minimal maintenance, the crops thrive just as they would in open farmlands.

In Nasarawa State, home to approximately 14,000 smallholder women farmers and 1,217 cooperative groups under the Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON), women farmers face greater inequalities than their male counterparts, largely due to the government’s agricultural input distribution system, which does not provide equitable access to inputs.

The 2019 National Gender Policy in Agriculture was introduced to bridge this gap by ensuring gender-sensitive planning and equal access to productive resources. But in Nasarawa, implementation has been almost non-existent. Women farmers are often not prioritised in policy and barely represented in input distribution committees, and there is no dedicated budget line for them.

A budget analysis by the SWOFON and the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) shows that of the ₦5.6 billion expended on agricultural capital expenditure in Nasarawa State in 2024, not a single project was targeted at the specific needs of women, let alone women with disabilities.

Instead, the funds went to the large-scale procurement of tractors, mills, herbicides, and other infrastructure that small-scale women farmers, who typically cultivate less than two hectares and rely heavily on manual labour, cannot access meaningfully.

The Permanent Secretary of the Nasarawa State Ministry of Agriculture, Abdullahi Umar, had acknowledged the inequality in access to agricultural support between male and female farmers.

“What they say is true,” he admitted, adding, “The percentage of men who benefit from farm inputs in the state is higher than that of women.” Umar, however, explained that smallholder women farmers are typically supported through a standing committee at the local government and development area levels.

The committee, he said, is made up of chairmen of LGAs and overseers of development areas, paramount rulers, Divisional Police Officers (DPOs), agriculture coordinators, councillors for agriculture, and heads of security agencies. According to him, women also benefit from intervention programmes such as Fadama III and NG-CARES, and were recently reached directly through ward-level distribution across the state.

He also added that women are usually represented within the existing structures that coordinate farm input distribution in Nasarawa. He, however, did not provide data to back this up.

The coordinator of the Smallholder Women Farmers Association in Nasarawa, Jumai Yohanna, however, disproved this, stating that they are not included in the distribution of inputs.

Tanko Tunga, the Commissioner for Agriculture in Nasarawa State, told The ICIR that the government supports women farmers in various ways, including through cooperative initiatives. He said there is no difference in how the government supports men and women farmers.

“Gender equality is important to us, and we will ensure they are carried along. We are doing our best, and we will continue to do that,” he said.

Despite these assurances, implementation tells a different story. While officials highlight committees and cooperative structures, many women farmers say the support rarely reaches them in any meaningful way.

The situation is even worse for women farmers with disabilities, who face multiple layers of exclusion, including physical, financial, and institutional. Many are unable to access farmland due to mobility challenges, are often left out of farmers’ cooperatives where support is distributed and are rarely considered in official data or empowerment schemes.

For instance, Asaba pointed out that in most cases, out of 100 people, maybe three or four with disabilities are considered for farm inputs, sometimes none are women.

Globally, about 1.3 billion people live with a significant disability, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Many of them reside in low and middle-income countries.

Available data from the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) indicates that 35.1 million Nigerians live with disabilities, representing about 15% of the nation’s population estimated at 237.5 million according to Worldometer.

Nigeria took a major policy step toward inclusion when former president Muhammadu Buhari signed the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act into law on January 23, 2019. The Act guarantees the full integration of persons with disabilities into all sectors of society, including agriculture, on an equal basis with others.

International frameworks such as the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) principles also reinforce these rights, affirming equal access to food, land, water, and agricultural resources for persons with disabilities.

Nasarawa is one of the states that domesticated the Disability Rights Law, prohibiting discrimination against persons with disabilities in all forms and circumstances. However, implementation remains weak, leaving many people with disabilities without meaningful support.

Against this backdrop, sack farming has emerged as a practical alternative for excluded farmers. For people with disabilities, the method removes one of their biggest barriers, which is the need for large farmland and long-distance mobility.

A lifeline for physically challenged women farmers

Several smallholder farmers with disabilities who spoke to The ICIR in various communities in Nasarawa State said the initiative has provided them with an easy way to grow food locally within their households to feed their families and save for other necessities

One of them, Constance Agidi, a woman with physical disability, was seen moving between rows of sacks in her small compound at 500 Estate, Lafia, inspecting the green shoots of tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and yams when The ICIR visited in October. Some of the plants were ready for harvest; others were still sprouting.

The 40-year-old mother of four has witnessed firsthand the struggles many farmers with disabilities face in Lafia.

After showing the sacks, she led this reporter to a corner of her compound where she keeps seedlings in small containers before transplanting them. Her home and the garden have become inseparable. Farming used to be exhausting. She relied on others to dig ridges, prepare the soil, and harvest crops. Most of her income went into paying labourers, and on some days, she returned home with nothing.

Constance Agidi: “With sack farming, I no longer spend money on labour or market vegetables; I harvest what I need at home.” The ICIR/2025

“With sack farming, I can plant right in my home,” she said, brushing her hand over a row of leafy greens. “I water them in the morning, and I can harvest anytime I need vegetables. I no longer have to go to the market or depend on anyone.”

Sack farming, she explained, has become a way to claim independence in a system where persons with disabilities are often excluded from government agricultural support.

“Out of 100 people, maybe three or four with disabilities are considered for farm inputs, sometimes none are women. Most of the rest go to able-bodied people,” she said. “They think we can’t manage or will sell the inputs. That perception is wrong.”

Before the sack farming initiative reached her community, Habiba Yahaya, another smallholder woman farmer living with a physical disability, spent years struggling to survive. Being unable to walk meant she could not participate in the traditional farming that sustains most households in her community in Obi Local Government, Nasarawa State.

The labour, such as digging ridges, clearing bush, carrying fertiliser, trekking long distances, was simply impossible.

“Traditional farming requires extensive manual labour,” she said. “As a person with a disability, I can’t do that myself.”

Because she could not farm and had no steady source of income, feeding herself was a daily battle. She often depended on relatives or neighbours to bring food, and she and her family frequently went hungry.

She had never received any form of government agricultural support, despite applying through various channels. She believes people with disabilities are excluded because of a combination of low awareness, inaccessible infrastructure and long-standing stigma.

When she began sack farming, it transformed her routine almost overnight. Today, she grows tomatoes, peppers, bananas, and henna (lele)—a crop that has unexpectedly become her biggest source of income.

With the sacks arranged around her house, she no longer needs to travel anywhere to farm. She waters her crops each morning and harvests them as needed. This has helped her meet up to 70% of her household food needs, cutting food expenses dramatically.

Her income has also improved. She earns from selling henna leaves and occasional harvests of pepper and tomatoes. With this money, she buys basic household items such as soap, salt, kerosene and supports her family with greater confidence.

“Before, even ₦100 could become a problem,” she said. “Now, I can take care of myself and contribute to the family. I feel more respected and valued in my community,” she said.

Another farmer, Joyce Oble, a 49-year-old mother of two from Sabon Pegi in Agwan Tiv, who lives with a mobility-related disability, said she used to depend almost entirely on hired labour for her traditional farm. She paid a minimum of ₦3,000 for planting, ₦4,000 for weeding, and ₦5,000 for harvesting for labourers.

“The money I pay workers is too much,” she said. “But with sack farming, I save that money.”

The savings help her stretch her limited income further.

Joyce Oble: “Sack farming has reduced my expenses and made it easier to provide for my children.” The ICIR/2025

Joyce noted that during the school term, even a small reduction in food expenses makes it easier to put money aside for her children’s needs. “At least when school starts, I don’t beg anybody,” she said. “Feeding too is easier now.”

Her first attempt at sack farming failed last year. The open space where she planted the sacks was not secure.

“Children used to break them,” she said. “So, everything spoiled.”

This year, she tried again—this time within her compound. It worked. She has already harvested okra and beans, and she plans to expand.

For Joyce, sack farming has restored her dignity and reduced her dependence on labourers. It also gives her the ability to contribute to her household without feeling like a burden.

“With this sack farm, I can do things by myself,” she said. “I don’t need anything heavy. I remove weeds with my hand. I water it from home. It is very simple.”

Her children also spend less time helping her manage long-distance farming, allowing them more time for school and chores.

Joyce believes that targeted support would go a long way.

Asabe Assoloko narrated how sack farming has helped her feed and care for her three children. The 37-year-old, who lives in the Lafia Nugu area, said life was extremely difficult before she learned about sack farming.

“Before the training, it was hard to feed,” she said. “Sometimes my children and I would go hungry because there was no money to buy food, and I have never received any farming support from the government.”

Asabe Assoloko, brimming with a smile in front of her farm

After being trained, Asabe began mixing sand, animal waste, and manure into sacks to plant crops like sweet potatoes and cocoyam.

“Some got spoiled,” she said, “but many survived, and that was enough for us to eat.”

She explained that sack farming has helped her save money and feed her family without depending on others.

“Before, I used to buy vegetables and cocoyam leaves,” she said. “Now I use what I grow. The little I would have spent at the market, I use it to buy soap, salt, or small foodstuffs for my children.”

Challenges with sack farming

However, sack farming also comes with its own challenges.

“If you are doing sack farming and you don’t have water around you, as a person with a disability, it’s a challenge,” Asaba Aversion said.

She explained that without water, it is a problem. She often has to think about going to the stream or finding another source, such as a nearby well.

According to her, lack of water is the biggest challenge. The second, she added, is dealing with pests. She, however, said they had been taught how to use nitrate when the plants are affected by pests and how to apply it properly.

For Asabe Assoloko, she said she struggles with limited space, a lack of fencing, and animals often eating her crops.

“Sometimes, fetching water is the hardest part,” she added. “If I have money, I will fence this area because animals sometimes disturb the plants in this open space. We need government support to expand because I want to continue.”

“If the government can help us with funds to get more space, fence it, and buy water containers, it will make things better,” she added. “We are trying our best, but with a little support, we can do more.”

Constance Agidi also shared the challenges she faces, including water scarcity, pest attacks, and poor fertilisers. Even after applying nitrate, she said, her crops sometimes still suffer.

Despite the challenges, she, however, said she will continue.

“It has given me a means of livelihood. I can grow yams, sweet potatoes, and vegetables. Now, money that would have gone into buying foodstuffs goes to paying our children’s school fees and meeting other necessities.”

SWOFON asks government to learn from the initiative

The Smallholder Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON) called on the Nasarawa State government to learn from the ongoing sack farming initiative and extend similar support to women farmers in Nasarawa, especially for many other women living with disabilities.

The coordinator of the organisation in Nasarawa state, Jumai Yohanna, said many of the women, including those who are blind or physically disabled, face immense barriers to accessing government support.

State Coordinator of smallholder women farmers, Jumai Yohanna

“Some can’t see, some can’t walk, and most don’t even have money to move from one office to another to complain about what they are going through,” she said.

“Even when opportunities come, they are not included. The government sometimes give the impression that they prefer people to come to their offices and lobby, which is impossible for many of them.”

She noted that initiatives like the one introduced by GIFSEP, which trained women with disabilities in sack farming, have made a huge difference.

“With the help of God, they now find it easier to plant maize, melon, and sweet potatoes, which they use to feed their families,” she explained.

Jumai urged the government to adopt similar approaches and provide mobility aids such as bicycles to help women with disabilities access farmland. She said most of them have nothing to do, and many cannot move around without help.

“We’ve complained to the Ministry of Agriculture to support and train them so they can do things on their own.”

“This year, the prices of things have increased, but the price of farm produce like rice and maize keeps falling,” she said.

“A bag of rice is ₦50,000, manure is ₦52,000, and even hiring labourers has doubled. We are suffering, and the government knows but has not done anything,” she said.

“We need land. If they can give us a place where we all have our own portion, it will help us. We need seeds too. This type of farming does not need chemicals—only support.”

Forests, bad roads turn Kwara communities into danger zones

Conflict and Security

Editorial

December 12, 2025

Forests, bad roads turn Kwara communities into danger zones

By Dare AKOGUN

BEYOND the terrorists’ attack on the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Eruku in Kwara State on November 18, The ICIR uncovers the factors that are fast turning the once peaceful State into a corridor of abductions.

For years, Kwara enjoyed a reputation as a “buffer state” a relatively calm axis between the violence of Niger, Kogi, and other North-Central hotspots. But that image has collapsed.

Figures compiled by The ICIR show that over 207 persons were killed and at least 177 abducted in Kwara between January and early November 2025 alone.

The worst-hit areas include Ifelodun, Patigi, Edu, Ekiti, Isin, Kaiama and Irepodun LGAs, rural belts bordering Niger and Kogi, where state presence is minimal and forest density is high.

Local NGOs say the real numbers may even be significantly higher because many victims do not report kidnappings out of fear of reprisals.

This latest surge, data shows, began around 2021, when the number of violent incidents spiked due to rising cross-border infiltration and the proliferation of criminal gangs operating along forest corridors. In that year alone, Kwara recorded 84 violent attacks and 45 deaths.

Eruku youths looking distraught

Attacks dipped briefly in 2024 but rose sharply again in 2025 climaxing with the CAC Eruku raid.

Security analysts warn that the patterns now emerging in Kwara mirror those earlier seen in Kaduna, Niger and Zamfara before those states descended into widespread rural banditry.

Kwara’s forests

To understand the insecurity in Kwara, one must understand its forests.

The belt stretching from Patigi through Ifelodun, Ekiti, Isin and Oke-Ero, down to the Yagba axis of Kogi State, is a labyrinth of dense forests, narrow farm roads and unmonitored bush paths perfect cover for criminal movement.

Academic studies, including those published in the Peace Studies Journal, consistently classify such forested rural spaces as “zones of criminal refuge,” especially where policing is limited and the population is sparse.

But it is not just the forests, it also has to do with the roads or the lack of them.

The Kabba–Egbe–Ilorin Highway abandoned to bandits

Once a bustling federal highway connecting Ilorin to Kogi and further south, the Kabba–Egbe–Ilorin Road has now become a metaphor for state neglect.

Riddled with potholes deep enough to swallow small vehicles, and lined with thick bushes, the road has collapsed into a perfect kidnapping haven.

Motorists avoid the road. Police patrol it with caution and bandits have taken ownership of it. The road can be described as one of Nigeria’s worst examples of infrastructural abandonment.

A community elder in Eruku put it more bluntly: “Our road is bad and contributes to insecurity. If there is an attack, before help can come, the bandits would have escaped because the road is not motorable.”

The geography is not just enabling crime; it is accelerating it.

The revenge theory: Why Eruku was targeted

While authorities initially labelled the November 18 Church attack as “just another bandit raid,” community sources point to a deeper motive revenge.

A few days before the attack, two people were kidnapped near the same Church. During ransom delivery, the deceased head of Eruku local vigilante identified widely as “Alaja” reportedly engaged one kidnapper, overpowered him and recovered both the ransom money and the kidnapped victim.

Bullet ridden windows aftermath of the attack

The bandits, community leaders now believe, returned to make a statement.

Residents said the attackers hid in trees for hours before striking, an account confirmed by multiple eyewitness reports.

Segun Olori Eta, a Chief in Eruku who was in the Church at the time of the attack said, “I think the bandits studied movements, waited for the Church to fill, and then launched a coordinated raid meant to inflict maximum fear.

“I was in the Church with my wife and 5 children, when the shooting started and in the ensuing chaos I ran out of the Church. I saw one of the bandits on the three shooting directly into the Church.

“I scaled the fence, and two others pursued me on foot shooting, i don’t even understand how no bullets touched me, it’s only God, they later went away with my wife and four children, only me and one of my sons who hid in between woods inside the Church escaped,” he revealed.

Another resident, Ige Josiah, whose son and wife were among the kidnapped worshippers said he believed the Church attack was not random.

He said: “My son was among those 18 kidnapped residents; three earlier and we were in the Church that day to give praise to God for their safe return.

“I think the bandits were angry that some escaped. Although I paid 2 million before my son was released, they came into the Church like wounded lions looking for lost food.

“At the end my son who returned just a week earlier from the kidnappers’ den and my wife was among those kidnapped that day, ” he revealed.

Segun who lost his brother during the attack, and his mother was kidnapped lamented the attack which he tagged planned and senseless.

Segun who lost a family member to the attack

“Look at where they killed my brother on Tuesday, is this place bush (pointing to the spot his brother’s corpse was retrieved a day after the attack).”Do we really have a government in this country?

“Please we need something to be done; let the government stop these people wasting our lives. In Nigeria we have enough capability to do it,” he said.

A senior police officer who is familiar with the terrain and has been investigating a series of kidnapping incidents in the area, spoke with The ICIR on the matter.

” Well, the residents might not be entirely wrong to assume the bandit came for revenge, because the manner with which the deceased vigilante head operates is very daring and non-conforming.

“This is someone who has had a series of encounters with the bandits, shot at several times with bullets not penetrating him and has contributed immensely to the safety of the community in conjunction with security operatives.

“We are looking at all angles, including prior hostilities, but we cannot jump to conclusions until investigations are completed.”

But the community is convinced, it was a retribution message to vigilantes, a message to villagers, that resistance comes with consequences.

“I believe the bandits are angry that we have been able to contain them for long, although they have been kidnapping our people for long but most of the time, it’s either they escape or our vigilante rescue them,” says Shola Peters, a youth leader in Eruku town.

“Our vigilante and hunters are very brave people. Despite not having ammunition that matches the bandits they have always confronted them any time they make inroads into the community.

“This recent attack was planned and intended to inflict devastating damage, Eruku is the first town in Kwara where they will attack a Church, and I am very sure it was ‘Alaja’ and those that escaped from them that they traced to the Church.

“However we thank God they have been released, but the death of Alaja is very hard to bear,” he said.

When Feranmi Joshua (name changed for safety) one of the abducted worshippers regained consciousness in the forest, his arms were bound, and the night sky was his only witness. Around him were dozens of other women, elderly men, young people dragged from the Church into the forest.

He told The ICIR, “We slept on cold ground. They moved us constantly. Some people fainted. What we went through is not something anyone should experience.

“We trekked barefoot across sharp rocks, thorns and even crossed streams. The bandits know the route and we were told we can’t escape. Truly it was nearly impossible to do so, he said.

How a kidnapping economy emerged in Kwara

In a 2022 report ICIR reported that Kwara, touted as the ‘state of harmony’ had lesser reports of insecurity ravaging the rest of the country, until when incidents of abduction and banditry became rife in the north-central state raised the alarm about abductions.

In the last six months of 2021 alone, cases of kidnapping for ransom in Kwara were rife, especially in the southern part of the state.

The government ignored the alarm then. Even the Kwara state police command through its then spokesperson, Ajayi Okasanmi, described the report as untrue, declaring that Kwara was safe.

A few months earlier the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, raised the alarm that bandits and kidnappers had relocated to Kwara and Kogi States, noting that the spate of insecurity in the two states was becoming alarming.

Speaking at the 2021 edition of the Oya Festival in Ira, Oyun LGA of Kwara State, on November 27, Adams decried the increasing rate of kidnapping in the state, adding that reports at his disposal indicated that some criminal elements have relocated to the state.

He urged Governor AbdulRasak to create a state security outfit that could help combat the growing influx of bandits and kidnappers.

He said: “Governor AbdulRasak needs to provide adequate security for the people of the state as well as the visitors. The report that some of the harmful elements, including bandits and kidnappers, have relocated to Kwara and Kogi states is alarming. The Kwara state government needs to improve the security situation by using the Amotekun structure to combat the growing spate of insecurity in the state.”

The then Commissioner of Police Kwara State, Tuesday Assayomo, in reaction to the claim of Gani Adams and the concern raised by the people of the state, took a tour of Kwara South senatorial zone on November 30, 2021, to see first-hand, the security situation of the zone.

Speaking during a meeting with community leaders, the CP reiterated his determination to deal with criminals irrespective of names or groups they belong to, while also accepting to work with any individual or group of people who are interested in collaborating with the police to fight crime.

Kwara State Commissioner of Police CP Adekimi Ojo addressing residents of Eruku

The people were advised to join hands with the police and other security agencies to ensure that the state’s existing peace and harmony is sustained.

Interviews with security experts, vigilante members and local residents reveal that the border corridor between Kwara and Kogi has become a fast-growing ransom market, fuelled by, ungoverned forests, broken highways, high youth unemployment, weak law enforcement presence, cross-border movements from Niger and Kogi and local informants exploiting economic desperation

A security strategist in Ilorin, Segun Omoyefa, said: “Once a corridor becomes known as a ransom marketplace, it attracts more criminals.

“A huge amount has exchanged hands on the last 11 months almost billions in naira , Kwara is unfortunately heading in that direction,” he said.

In this new economy, kidnappers earn millions weekly. Communities sell land, livestock, property everything to pay ransom. Bandits reinvest in weapons, transport, informants and logistics, and the cycle repeats.

Ghost villages, empty farms, lost schools

In multiple communities across Ifelodun, Patigi, Ekiti and Edu LGAs, residents told The ICIR that entire villages have emptied out, and farmlands abandoned.

In Eruku and neighbouring settlements, traders have stopped attending weekly markets and those who attend do so with caution closing early and avoiding late night movement.

Farmers now work in groups of 30–50 for safety for those who haven’t abandoned their farms entirely.

Funmi Anifowose, a farmer lamented the spate of insecurity in the town, saying previously the local government always gives support to the vigilante which makes the town peaceful.

” It was not like this before, our vigilantes are fearless and up and doing, previously with support from the council, they have provided security in the town and whenever they are called into action they always save the day, but it’s not like that again, they don’t have ammunition.

Houses deserted after the attacks in the community

” I am a farmer but I don’t have rich family members. I can’t go to the farm again for fear of being kidnapped; I can’t go to ilorin because of fear of being kidnapped on the road which is very bad.”

She said some families have relocated entirely to Ilorin and Several schools’ record attendance dropped about over 40 per cent.

For a state whose rural economy depends on smallholder farming, this is a looming food security disaster.

State closes schools in 4 LGs, demands military base

The State government, on Wednesday, November 20, 2025 directed the closure of schools across four LGAs amid escalating insecurity in the affected communities.

The government’s decision was disclosed by the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Kwara State Wing.

In a circular obtained by The ICIR, the NUT Chairman, Yusuf Agboola, announced the shutdown of schools in Isin, Irepodun, Ifelodun, and Ekiti LGAs.

Agboola explained that the union was acting strictly on instructions from the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development after the government raised concerns over fresh security threats in Kwara South.

“Comrade chairmen, this is to inform you and through you, all schools in the above local governments of the instruction to close down all schools with immediate effect until further notice,” the circular read.

The NUT chair assured school heads and teachers that further directives would be communicated as the situation evolves.

Strong words, weak structures

In the wake of the Eruku attack and other recent kidnappings, the Kwara State Government launched what it called a “multi-agency joint operation” involving the Nigeria Police tactical units, DSS operatives, Army detachments from Ilorin and local vigilante groups.

Governor Abdulrazaq also announced plans to seek the establishment of a Forward Operating Base of the Nigerian Army and a Mobile Police Squadron in Eruku, Ekiti LGA.

The governor, who visited Eruku for an on-the-spot assessment, a day after the incident disclosed that he had spoken with the General Officer Commanding, 2 Division, and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, on the urgent security upgrade needed in the crisis-hit area.

Houses deserted after the terror attacks in the community

The state also announced plans to, deploy an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) permanently in Eruku, seek approval for a mobile police squadron and establishment of a permanent military base in the border area

Analysts not impressed

Some analysts argue that these interventions, while commendable, are reactionary, episodic and unsustainable.

A senior security analyst Lawal Arikewuyo who has studied North-Central conflict patterns told ICIR: “You cannot secure a forest corridor with reactionary deployments. You need permanent presence, not photo opportunities.”

Community vigilantes across Kwara state echo this sentiment. They complain of, limited ammunition, poor logistic, lack of protective gear, no hazard allowances and minimal state support

“Sometimes,” a vigilante leader said, “we confront men with AK-47s using Dane guns.”

Experts warn that without urgent structural reforms, Kwara could mirror the insecurity trajectory of Kaduna or Niger states where rural banditry evolved into rampant terrorism within a few short years.

Taoheed Rahman a public affairs analyst, said: “Kwara is unfortunately tagged as one of the states ravaged by insecurity in the North.

“The government needs to come out with workable solutions that can be seen, if not that tag of insecurity will be with the state for a long time , and it will affect many things, he warned.

To reverse this crisis, chairman of Ifeldoun LGA, Abdulrasheed Femi Yusuf, said a permanent combined security outpost is required in the area.

“The Federal Government should establish a permanent military base in Baba Sango Forest to curb the activities of bandits operating across four states.

“The vast Baba Sango forest has become a safe haven for kidnappers and armed bandits terrorising Kwara, Ekiti, Kogi and Niger states,” he said.

Also, an Ilorin based political analyst, Imam Abubakar, said the security needs to deploy new tactics in the fight against banditry in Kwara, Niger and Kogi state.

” There is a need to rethink the fighting strategy of these bandits, we all know the bandits understand this terrain very well and we know technology can cover areas human patrols cannot.

“Forest monitoring using drone surveillance, including, well trained funded, accountable local vigilantes can supply actionable intelligence,” he said.

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