The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, (LCCI), has canvassed for a change in the country’s security architecture, saying the current system is not working and has a grave impact on food inflation.
The LCCI President, Gabriel Idahosa, stated this during a television programme yesterday.
Gunmen have targeted farmers mostly in the northern region of the country, kidnapping and killing many of them. This is also in addition to several security issues bedevilling Nigeria.
The incidents, Idahosa said, are part of the reasons for food inflation in Nigeria and he believes the security situation must be tackled headlong. “Inflation now has two major drivers: transportation and food. In fact, food inflation is the primary driver”, he stated.
Idahosa queried: “How do you deal with food inflation? You need the farmers to go to the farms, and to go there every day in safety. If you don’t have farmers going to farm and producing food every day, you are guaranteed food inflation. “And we know that to guarantee access to farms, you need security. The security arrangement in Nigeria now is not working”, he further stated, during the show.
North-West and Central Nigeria have been long terrorised by bandit militias, who are operating from bases deep in forests and raiding villages to loot and kidnap residents for ransom.
Competition for natural resources between nomadic herders and farmers, intensified by rapid population growth and climate pressures, has also exacerbated social tensions and sparked violence. In the past weeks, over 190 persons were killed when gunmen attacked communities in Plateau State.
According to the head of Ɓokkos local government area of Plateau State, Monday Kassah, at least 20 villages were targeted in a series of well-coordinated attacks around Christmas. He said that at least 20 villages had been targeted in a series of well-coordinated attacks between Saturday evening and yesterday morning.
President Bola Tinubu decried the attacks and ordered “security agencies to immediately move in, scour every stretch of the zone, and apprehend the culprits”.
Plateau State governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has also called for “united efforts to identify and apprehend those responsible for these heinous acts”.
