Violence threatens Benue’s role as Nigeria’s food basket – SBM Report

Benue state’s status as Nigeria’s food basket is under threat due to unending violence that has killed thousands and forced farmers off their land, according to a new report by SBM Intelligence, a geopolitical research and consulting firm.

The report, A Cycle of Carnage: Displacement, Insecurity, and the Failure of Governance in Benue State, says farming communities have suffered repeated attacks that have destroyed livelihoods and deepened food insecurity nationwide.

“Farmlands have been destroyed, and communities have been forced to flee, further undermining food production and worsening food insecurity in the region,” the report said.

It added that the violence is no longer tied to seasonal disputes over land and water.

“Between January 2019 and June 2025, we recorded 287 incidents involving Fulani herders, resulting in at least 2,185 deaths,” SBM stated.

“Rainy season incidents were more frequent and deadly than those in the dry season.

“During this period, 205 rainy-season incidents were recorded, resulting in 1,725 fatalities, compared with 82 dry-season incidents, which resulted in 460 deaths,” the report added.

The conflict, once linked mainly to grazing disputes, now carries broader implications. “The conflict has evolved from periodic clashes to sustained violence with broader territorial implications,” SBM wrote.

The organisation warned that Benue’s agricultural output, crucial to Nigeria’s food supply, is at risk of collapse.

“The persistence of attacks on farming communities in Benue threatens food security not only in the state but across Nigeria,” the report stressed.

SBM intelligence called for urgent security and economic measures to protect farmers and stabilise production.

“Without targeted interventions, the violence in Benue could trigger a wider food crisis, driving up prices and worsening poverty across the country,” it concluded.