Nigeria
Population: 181 million
Christian Percentage: 50 percent
Dominant Religion: Christianity
Persecution Ranking: 6

Nigeria is a nation blessed with fertile land, an excellent network of rivers and six seaports on the Atlantic Coast. They also have an aggressive workforce that has the potential to make their nation powerful and prosperous. But they also have a criminal element that is causing unnecessary food shortages and even malnutrition among the vulnerable. This nation of 181 million is home to nearly 32 million who live with food insecurity according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization office. Food insecurity happens because bandits demand ransoms and extortion money from those who are producing needed rice and fish.

Rice is the staple grain in Nigeria. It is the main ingredient in jollof rice, the national dish. Until 2015, Nigeria imported most of this common grain. Then the Nigerian Customs Service banned the import of rice with the goal of securing domestic food security and greater prosperity for local farmers. For a time the plan worked, and family farmers enjoyed prosperity and Nigerians had their food needs met.

Then, in 2021, local gangs started charging “taxes” on local farmers. Taxes are a euphemism for extortion money. They sometimes require a local farming community to pay $51,000 before planting and an additional $38,000 annually in exchange for not attacking their villages. Those who don’t comply can have their crops burned and their people taken for ransom. One man was taken to work under slave-like conditions, and he found his daughter was being used as a sex slave by the criminals. Demands by these bandits have drained farmers of capital to plant crops and establish needed irrigation systems. To make it even worse, the criminals make demands about how and when farmers plant their crops.

Sakoto State is where the problem is most intense, and the state government recently added an additional 70 patrol vehicles. Unfortunately there is little they can do to protect those in remote areas. Farmers are paying taxes to government agencies as well as protection money to bandits. Some have resorted to vigilante tactics, banning together to repel attacks. Unfortunately, farmers are easily overrun when confronted by a gang of criminals. The end result is ironic: What once helped Nigeria achieve food independence and prosperity for farmers is only benefitting criminals. Farmers are leaving their farms and the rice industry is crumbling. Like a leech that kills it’s host, the bandits might find themselves unable to continue their criminal activities.

The fishing industry is facing a similar dilemma, especially near Lake Chad Eastern Nigeria. The terror group Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) is charging fishermen huge “levys” for protection. Commonly fishermen pay them well over $500, and this terrorist group has extorted over $217,000 from the fishing industry. Along with protection money, ISWAP also demands part of their catch. Those who refuse to pay have been flogged, killed, taken as hostages for ransom, or their entire catch has been taken. The Nigerian military keeps a presence in the local town of Baga, but they aren’t patrolling the lake where bandits have their island hideouts.

Nigeria now faces a food crisis and malnutrition is on the rise. Outsiders can send food relief but the root problem is the criminal gangs. All we can do is pray for our all-powerful God to protect people who are providing needed food in Nigeria.

Let Us Pray!

  • Pray for God to protect those who are living productive lives by farming and fishing in Nigeria (The Bible, Psalm 5:11).
  • Pray for God’s mighty hand to come down upon these extortionists in such a way it will give Nigerians a healthy fear of the Lord (The Bible, Psalm 9:16).
  • Pray for the Lord to be glorified in this nation, and for the people to live up to their potential (The Bible, Acts 8:37-39).

Sources:

The Guardian. Child malnutrition crisis in Nigeria amid rural violence and soaring food inflation. July 1, 2024.
New Lines Magazine. Rice Farming Brought Prosperity to Northwestern Nigeria — Then the Bandits Came. June 20, 2024.Human Angle Media. Fishermen In Nigeria’s North East Either Pay Levies To Terrorists Or Risk Assault, Death. April 15, 2024.