How Terrorism Has Destroyed Agriculture, Trade Routes, and Industry in Northern and Central Nigeria.-  
— Ubuntu Rooted in Humanity —  

Northern and central Nigeria, once known for their vibrant agricultural economies, bustling trade routes, and emerging industrial hubs, have faced devastating economic disruption due to decades of terrorism. Groups like Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and local bandit networks have carried out campaigns of violence, abduction, extortion, and destruction, systematically targeting the economic lifelines of communities. The impact extends beyond immediate material loss, eroding livelihoods, food security, and regional economic stability.

Understanding the mechanisms through which terrorism has crippled agriculture, trade, and industry is essential for designing interventions that restore productivity, rebuild trust, and foster sustainable development.

1. Targeted Attacks on Agriculture

Agriculture is the backbone of northern and central Nigeria, supporting millions of farmers and feeding the wider population. Terrorist campaigns have disrupted this sector in multiple ways:

• Farm destruction: Terrorists routinely burn fields, destroy crops, and sabotage irrigation systems to punish communities that resist their influence or to intimidate others into compliance. Entire harvests are lost, leaving communities without food or income.

• Livestock theft: Fulani herders and rural farmers often lose cattle, goats, and poultry to bandits and extremist groups. Livestock is either stolen for profit or killed to weaken local economies.

• Abductions and forced labor: Terrorists kidnap farmers to work for them or demand ransoms, reducing the workforce available for productive farming. Fear of abduction discourages planting, leaving fields fallow.

• Disruption of seasonal cycles: Fear of raids has caused many farmers to abandon lands entirely, interrupting planting and harvesting cycles. This long-term disruption lowers yields and can render previously fertile areas unproductive.

As a result, northern and central Nigeria have experienced food insecurity, rising local prices, and dependency on imports from other regions, weakening economic self-reliance.

2. Collapse of Trade Routes

Trade has historically linked northern Nigeria to West Africa, the Sahel, and the southern Nigerian markets. Terrorism has severely undermined commerce:

• Ambushes and attacks: Highway robberies, kidnappings, and market attacks have made transport routes dangerous. Traders often abandon traditional routes, forcing goods into longer, costlier, and less efficient paths.

• Market destruction: Boko Haram and affiliated groups have burned rural and urban markets, destroying infrastructure, stalls, and inventory. Farmers and traders lose their products, and entire marketplaces become unsafe for business.

• Fear and migration: Traders avoid regions perceived as high-risk, leading to economic isolation of communities and regions. Supply chains break down, disrupting the flow of food, raw materials, and manufactured goods.

• Extortion and taxation by militants: Extremist groups levy unofficial “taxes” on traders and transporters. Many small traders are forced to abandon business, while larger operators factor in higher costs, reducing profit margins and competitiveness.

These disruptions weaken the link between rural producers and urban consumers, depress local economies, and increase dependence on external aid.

3. Impact on Emerging Industries

Northern and central Nigeria have seen growth in small- and medium-sized industries, such as food processing, textiles, and agro-based manufacturing. Terrorism has significantly curtailed this growth:

• Industrial site attacks: Factories and workshops have been attacked or looted, destroying machinery, materials, and records. Rebuilding is often prohibitively expensive.

• Labor shortages: Fear of abduction or attacks drives skilled workers to migrate southward or into safer regions, leaving industries understaffed and less productive.

• Investor aversion: Persistent insecurity discourages investment, both local and foreign. Entrepreneurs are hesitant to establish businesses in high-risk areas, further stifling industrial development.

• Disruption of supply chains: Industries reliant on agricultural inputs or trade routes cannot operate effectively when raw materials are inaccessible or unsafe to transport.

The cumulative effect is a stunted industrial sector, limiting employment opportunities and reinforcing cycles of poverty that extremists exploit for recruitment.

4. Secondary Economic Consequences

The destruction of agriculture, trade, and industry produces cascading effects throughout the economy:

• Rising poverty: Communities lose their primary means of livelihood, leading to increased dependence on humanitarian aid or illegal economic activities, such as joining militant groups.

• Food insecurity and malnutrition: Reduced agricultural output leads to shortages, higher prices, and increased malnutrition, especially among children.

• Displacement and urban overcrowding: Rural residents flee to safer urban areas, straining social services, housing, and job markets. Urban economies, often unprepared for such inflows, face additional stress.

• Inflation: Scarcity of essential goods drives prices up, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations and widening the socio-economic gap.

In essence, terrorism transforms once self-sufficient regions into fragile economic zones, perpetuating poverty, insecurity, and social fragmentation.

5. Psychological Impact on Economic Activity

Fear and trauma play a critical role in economic collapse:

• Risk-aversion: Farmers, traders, and industrial operators avoid productive activities out of fear of attacks or abduction.

• Disrupted generational knowledge: Families who abandon land or businesses lose centuries of accumulated agricultural or industrial expertise.

• Erosion of trust: Communities may no longer engage in cooperative trade, hire migrant labor, or participate in markets due to fear of espionage or extremist infiltration.

Psychological barriers, combined with physical destruction, make economic recovery slower and more difficult than rebuilding infrastructure alone.

6. The Role of Governance Failure

Terrorist disruption of the economy is exacerbated by state weaknesses:

• Inadequate security presence: Remote rural areas are poorly policed, leaving farmers and traders vulnerable to raids.

• Corruption and collusion: In some regions, local elites are accused of collaborating with bandits or extremists, allowing attacks to continue unchecked.

• Delayed response to infrastructure needs: Markets, roads, and irrigation systems destroyed by extremists often remain unrepaired for years, limiting economic resilience.

Without responsive governance, the economic fabric remains vulnerable, and extremist groups continue to exploit poverty and unemployment as recruitment tools.

7. Strategies for Economic Recovery

Rebuilding agriculture, trade, and industry requires multi-pronged interventions:

1. Security guarantees: Protecting trade routes, markets, and agricultural zones to allow safe economic activity.

2. Reconstruction programs: Rebuilding destroyed farms, irrigation systems, roads, and marketplaces.

3. Support for displaced persons: Providing seeds, tools, livestock, and training to returnees to restore agricultural productivity.

4. Microfinance and investment incentives: Encouraging local entrepreneurs and investors to resume industrial and commercial activities.

5. Community-based protection: Engaging local vigilante groups, farmers’ associations, and trade unions in safeguarding assets and workers.

6. Trauma-informed economic programs: Addressing fear and psychological barriers so communities regain confidence in participating in economic life.

These interventions must be coordinated, sustained, and integrated with broader social, educational, and governance initiatives.

8. Economic Destruction as a Strategic Weapon

Terrorism in northern and central Nigeria is not merely an attack on individuals or property — it is a deliberate assault on economic life itself. By destroying agriculture, trade routes, and industry, extremists destabilize communities, perpetuate poverty, and undermine the social cohesion necessary for resistance. The resulting food insecurity, unemployment, and economic fragmentation create a vicious cycle: poverty feeds extremism, and extremism destroys economic opportunity.

Rebuilding these economies is not only a matter of physical reconstruction but also of restoring trust, resilience, and hope. Faith leaders, government institutions, civil society, and community networks must work together to secure livelihoods, revive markets, and foster safe environments for farmers, traders, and entrepreneurs. Only then can northern and central Nigeria reclaim the economic vitality that extremists have sought to erase.