Kwara Tomato Farmer Cries Out As Terror Attacks Cripple Farms, Livelihoods; Accuses Federal Lawmakers Of Abandoning Constituents

Kwara State farmer and CEO of Versa Farms, Ibrahim Toyeeb, has raised an alarm over what he described as the devastating impact of terrorist attacks on communities, farms, and livelihoods in the state, accusing elected federal lawmakers of abandoning their constituents.

Mr Toyeeb, whose company is among the largest agricultural firms in Kwara, told SaharaReporters that the spate of killings, kidnappings, and raids in Kwara South has left communities traumatised and risks collapsing investments across the region.

While stressing that his appeal was non-partisan but rooted in survival, he urged the Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, and security agencies to sustain military deployments, but also ensure intelligence-led operations and relief for the victims.

SaharaReporters had reported on Wednesday’s kidnapping of two farmers at Bokungi Zambufu community under the Lafiagi Emirate, citing NupekoTV.

Eyewitnesses said the assailants stormed the farmland and opened fire “sporadically,” forcing villagers to flee. SaharaReporters had also documented recent attacks in Oke-Ode (Ifelodun LGA), Essanti (Patigi LGA), and Marri Village, where dozens were killed, vigilantes executed, and families displaced.

Mr Toyeeb specifically called out Kwara federal lawmakers, Senator Oyelola Ashiru (Kwara South) and Hon. Raheem Tunji Olawuyi, Chairman of the House Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness, for their silence.

“I mourn every life taken. I mourn every family uprooted. I mourn every field left untended. My people sleep in fear. Silence from those elected to protect us is not neutrality; it is, to us, abandonment. We call on Senator Ashiru and Honourable Olawuyi to show leadership, to convene security partners, and to secure our communities now,” he said.

“Why has this situation not been mentioned boldly on the floor of the National Assembly? Representation without advocacy is no representation at all.”

The farmer argued that inadequate representation at the federal level has weakened Kwara South’s chances of attracting strong government security interventions. He accused lawmakers of “poor performance and neglect,” saying their failure to amplify the crisis in Abuja has worsened people’s sense of abandonment.

Mr Toyeeb warned that insecurity is not only a human tragedy but also an economic disaster in the making.

“Insecurity is destroying Kwara South’s investment potential. If farms close and businesses pull out, families lose their livelihoods, poverty deepens, and the area becomes economically crippled. Versa Farms employs hundreds of people; we are proof of what is possible if safety and stability are assured. This is why I am raising my voice: to protect not just farms, but futures,” he said.

He outlined practical measures to contain the crisis, asking the government to deploy targeted security reinforcements to vulnerable communities, establish a joint federal-state task force with clear command and accountability, conduct rapid humanitarian assessments for displaced families, launch a transparent investigation into the attacks with a time-bound action plan, and convene local leaders, security officials, and civil society to design community-led protection mechanisms.

Meanwhile, SaharaReporters previously exposed how Governor AbdulRazaq’s aides attempted to downplay insecurity by circulating old photographs of Nigerian Air Force strikes in Borno State and passing them off as fresh operations in Kwara.

On September 22, the governor’s aide, Olayinka Fafoluyi (aka Solace), shared images of airstrikes on his Facebook page, claiming they were deterrence operations against bandits in Oke-Ode. A fact-check traced the pictures to Operation HADIN KAI in Borno on October 25, 2024.

Residents dismissed the spin as insensitive, given the wave of killings that claimed at least 12 vigilantes and the Baale of Ogbayo during a dawn raid in Oke-Ode.

From Oke-Ode to Patigi, villagers continue to flee en masse amid repeated raids. In Essanti, two sons of a youth leader were abducted in daylight, with kidnappers boasting that the move would “reduce the need for night invasions.”

In Marri village, assailants struck under heavy rainfall, killing one, injuring another, and carting away motorcycles before soldiers intervened.

Mr Toyeeb noted that if lawmakers and the state government do not act with urgency, Kwara South will be stripped of both its people and its economic lifeline.

“The blood of farmers stains these fields. Yet our voices go unheard in Abuja. If Kwara South loses its farms, its industries, and its people, it will not just be an insecurity crisis, it will be the end of our economic future,” he warned.

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