{"id":575,"date":"2026-07-10T12:56:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T11:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=575"},"modified":"2026-07-10T12:56:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T11:56:01","slug":"banditry-insecurity-drive-food-prices-beyond-reach-as-delsu-students-traders-seek-government-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=575","title":{"rendered":"Banditry, Insecurity Drive Food Prices Beyond Reach as DELSU Students, Traders Seek Government Action"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Elijah Ofovwe God’scarring Tejiri<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students of Delta State University (DELSU) and traders at the Abraka Small Market, are appealing to the federal and state governments to tackle rising insecurity and banditry, blaming the crisis for the sharp increase in food prices that has made basic food items unaffordable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The appeal follows the continued rise in the prices of farm produce, which residents say is linked to insecurity in major food producing communities across the country, farmers are reportedly abandoning their farms due to attacks by armed bandits, resulting in reduced food production and shortages in local markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interviews conducted on with students and traders in Abraka revealed growing concern over the rising cost of living and worsening food insecurity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 200 level Science Laboratory Technology student, Awerosuoghene Destiny Akomakowe, described the current food prices as shocking “I went to the market yesterday to buy tomatoes, and the seller told me that five tomatoes cost \u20a61,000,\u00a0 I counted them three times because I thought I had heard wrongly, how can students survive when the money sent by their parents no longer meets their basic needs? , The insecurity affecting farming communities is hurting us here in Abraka,<\/em>” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ ALSO:<\/strong> AI Driving Innovation In Content Creation, Healthcare\u2014Student Scientists<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 300 level Political Science student, Miss Favour Oghenerukewe, also said the increase in food prices has forced many students to reduce the number of meals they eat daily, “I used to prepare a pot of soup for less than \u20a62,000, and it lasted about four days, now, I cannot cook the same soup for less than \u20a65,000, the prices of tomatoes, pepper, vegetables, and crayfish have all increased, many students now eat only once a day because food has become too expensive,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another student, Emmanuel Toritseju, a second year Accounting student, said insecurity has disrupted farming activities and food supply across the country, “This is not just happening in Lagos or Abuja, even here in Abraka, food prices have become very high because many farmers can no longer go to their farms. Without security, farming cannot continue, and without farming, there will be no food,” he stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traders at the Abraka Small Market also attributed the high cost of food to insecurity affecting farming communities and transportation routes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A vegetable trader, Mama Ngozi, said suppliers now face security risks while transporting produce from farming areas, “Before now, trucks regularly brought tomatoes, pepper, and vegetables from farming communities like Agbor and Ogwashi, but today, many drivers avoid those routes because of attacks by armed groups, those who still transport food charge higher fares because of the risks involved, by the time the produce gets to the market, the prices have already gone up,” she explained. She added that traders are also experiencing reduced sales because many customers can no longer afford the prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ ALSO:<\/strong> DELSU-SUG Opens Applications For Campus Barristers, Sets June 25-26 Deadline<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another trader, Mrs. Roseline Efe, who sells grains and other food items, said transportation costs have also increased because of insecurity, “Our suppliers are afraid to travel through certain roads because of kidnappers and bandits, some farmers have even considered quitting farming because they are constantly threatened, the government needs to provide adequate security for farmers and transporters so food can move freely again,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students are calling on the government to deploy more security personnel to farming communities and major supply routes to protect farmers and improve food production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Market traders also urged authorities to provide financial support for affected farmers and strengthen security along transportation corridors to ensure the steady movement of food across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Residents warned that unless urgent action is taken to address insecurity, food prices may continue to rise, placing greater financial pressure on students, traders, and low income households.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Elijah Ofovwe God’scarring Tejiri Students of Delta State University (DELSU) and traders at the Abraka Small Market, are appealing to the federal and state governments to tackle rising insecurity and banditry, blaming the crisis for the sharp increase in food prices that has made basic food items unaffordable. The appeal follows the continued rise […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":576,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"iawp_total_views":4,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abrakametro","category-trendingnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=575"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":577,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575\/revisions\/577"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}