Nigeria’s food price hike caused by insecurity — Defence minister

The Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, said on Monday the worsening insecurity was responsible for the rising prices of food items in Nigeria.

Magashi stated this in his address at a retreat for defence advisers and attaches organised by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) in Abuja.

He described the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East and the banditry in the North-West as huge security challenges to the country.

He also listed illegal oil bunkering in some states in the South-South and activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the South-East as other security challenges rocking the country.

READ ALSO: Northern Elders tell Buhari to declare bandits as terrorists, if it’ll solve insecurity in Nigeria

Magashi said: “The threats currently facing Nigeria and understanding their socio-geographic context is pivotal for adapting appropriate and lasting counter-measures.

“Regrettably, the prevalence of these threats has continued to endanger not only national security and economic growth, but also food security.

“In particular, food security has been adversely affected with the attendant rise in the prices of foodstuff across the country which portends a new dimension of threat.

“This makes it imperative for the various security agencies in the country to continue to collaborate to tackle this menace in order to create an enabling atmosphere for economic activities to thrive and to attract foreign direct investment.

“It also means that the security agencies must explore all avenues within their respective systems to come up with innovative ways of identifying and confronting the challenges facing us as a nation.”

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