Ransom Payments And The Slow Death Of Farming In Maiduguri -By Zainab Odunayo Haruna

In the once-thriving farmlands surrounding Maiduguri, fear now walks side by side with hunger. For many farmers in Borno State, cultivation is no longer a path to survival but a gamble with life and poverty. The rising wave of kidnappings for ransom has trapped countless rural families in a vicious cycle of debt and despair — paying to stay alive, yet growing too poor to live with dignity.

What used to be fields of promise — stretching across Jere, Konduga, and Mafa — have now become zones of terror. Farmers who venture into their lands are constantly at risk of abduction by bandits and insurgent groups that roam the fringes of the city. Those who survive such encounters are often forced to pay huge ransoms to secure their release, sometimes selling off their livestock, land, or harvest to raise the demanded sums.

It is not uncommon to hear stories of farmers pooling resources to free one another, or families crowd-funding in mosques and markets just to save a relative. In many cases, the ransom amounts range from ₦200,000 to ₦2 million — unimaginable figures for small-scale farmers who already struggle to buy fertilizer or hire tractors. Each abduction, therefore, becomes not just a personal tragedy but a collective setback for an already fragile agricultural economy.

The consequences are devastating. Many farmers have abandoned their lands altogether, retreating into Maiduguri city in search of menial jobs. Others have shifted to petty trading or commercial tricycle operations, leaving vast stretches of farmland uncultivated. The ripple effect is evident in soaring food prices, shrinking local production, and deepening poverty. In a state where agriculture once provided both food and stability, ransom payments have now become a new form of taxation — paid not to the government, but to criminals.

The situation also exposes the cruel irony of insecurity in Borno State. For years, the government and security agencies have assured residents of improved safety, yet farmers remain easy targets. The checkpoints that dot the highways often offer no real protection in rural areas where abductions occur. Many victims say they receive little to no help from the authorities, who arrive only after the kidnappers have vanished into the bush.

For the average farmer, life has become an equation of fear. If he stays home, he starves. If he goes to the farm, he risks abduction. If he gets kidnapped, he must sell his future to buy his freedom. It is a cruel cycle that is gradually erasing the economic backbone of rural Borno and widening the gap between survival and hopelessness.

Sadly, the ransom economy is thriving because it works — for the wrong people. Each successful payment emboldens more kidnappers and weakens community resilience. Villages that used to cooperate on farming now operate in silence, fearful of spies and informants. The trust that once bound neighbors together is breaking down, replaced by suspicion and anxiety.

Government responses so far have been reactive, not preventive. Occasional security operations are launched after attacks, but they rarely translate into lasting peace. There is little investment in community policing, rural surveillance, or intelligence-sharing mechanisms that could preempt such crimes. Meanwhile, local farmers’ associations, which could serve as watchdogs, remain underfunded and uncoordinated.

If Borno State must truly recover, the protection of farmers should be at the heart of its post-insurgency strategy. Agriculture remains the lifeline of Maiduguri’s economy, and any policy that ignores the plight of farmers is bound to fail. The government must strengthen rural patrols, engage vigilante groups responsibly, and provide soft loans or compensation to victims who have lost everything to ransom payments.

Equally important is rebuilding public confidence. Farmers must feel safe enough to return to their fields without fear of abduction. The state can collaborate with non-governmental organizations and local leaders to create safe farming corridors, improve early warning systems, and establish insurance schemes for those at risk. Without these measures, Maiduguri’s food supply will continue to shrink, and poverty will deepen across Borno’s rural communities.

The tragedy unfolding in Maiduguri’s farmlands is more than a security issue — it is a human and economic crisis. Every ransom paid is a silent surrender, every abandoned farm a sign of defeat. Until the government restores safety and dignity to those who feed the nation, the dream of true recovery in Borno will remain just that — a dream.

Zainab Odunayo Haruna is a 300 Level Student From Mass Communication Department University Of Maiduguri.