Residents in parts of northern Borno State are facing growing uncertainty after militants from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād (JAS) reportedly ordered communities to suspend farming activities, threatening violence against anyone who ignores the directive.
The development was revealed in an investigation by HumAngle, which documented accounts from farmers and community leaders in affected areas. According to the report, the militants warned residents not to cultivate their farmlands during the current planting season, raising fresh concerns over food security and livelihoods in conflict-affected communities.
One farmer, Musa Abubakar from Cross Kauwa, told HumAngle that armed militants confronted farmers who had travelled to Kartari to begin cultivation.
“They approached farmers who had gone to Kartari and told them we must not cultivate this year,” Abubakar said. “They also informed community leaders in villages close to them, and those leaders passed the message to us in other towns.”
The reported ban has left many farming families in fear, with some abandoning their farmlands while others have reportedly relocated to safer communities in search of alternative means of survival.
According to the investigation, the militant groups warned that anyone who defies the order risks being attacked or killed. The threats have heightened anxiety across several rural communities that depend almost entirely on farming for food and income.
The report also noted that the farming restriction comes amid a series of violent attacks targeting farmers in northern Borno. In one of the incidents cited by HumAngle, at least 15 farmers were reportedly killed near Kartari on June 20, while other attacks have been recorded in nearby communities, further discouraging residents from returning to their fields.
The latest development raises concerns about food production in one of Nigeria's most conflict-affected regions. Agriculture remains the primary source of livelihood for thousands of households across Borno State, and any disruption to the planting season could worsen food shortages, increase displacement, and deepen the humanitarian crisis already affecting the region.
Although the allegations have attracted public attention, there has been no official confirmation from the Nigerian military, the Borno State Government, or other federal authorities specifically confirming the reported farming ban at the time of publication.
Security analysts say extremist groups have previously imposed restrictions on farming, fishing, and movement in territories under their influence as a means of exerting control over local populations and disrupting government authority.
As residents continue to weigh the risks of returning to their farms, humanitarian organisations and security agencies are expected to closely monitor the situation, with renewed calls for stronger security measures to protect farming communities and safeguard food production in the region.
Novex News will continue to monitor developments and provide updates as more official information becomes available.