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THE CRISIS
BETWEEN HERDSMEN AND FARMERS; A CASE STUDY OF BENUE STATE 2015-2017
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Fulani as a
tribe is known with the business of cattle rearing. Notwithstanding this fact,
a number of Nigerians and even foreigners are also found in cattle rearing.
Those vulnerable to herdsmen attacks seem to condemn the entire tribe of Fulani
incognizant of the innocence of the majority. Fulani herdsmen have been
labelled by some Nigeria’s newspapers with various frames as a result of their
clash with their farmers counterparts in Nigeria. On the real identity of the
parties involved in the herders/farmers conflict, the Minister of Interior,
Abdulrahman Dambazau, called for the urgent resolution of the persistent crises
between farmers and herdsmen in the country, stating that Boko Haram militants
are taking advantage of the frequent clashes between herdsmen and farmers
across the country to terrorize Nigerians under that guise (DailyTrust, 2016).
In addition, Sultan of Sokoto has noted that the herders moving with guns and
causing violence are not Nigerians. To him, they are foreigners coming into
Nigeria to cause a breach of the peace "they are terrorists and should be
treated as such by Nigerian security agencies” (Daily Trust, 2016). Of these
herdsmen, the Fulani are highly visible. Yet there are about 14 other groups
who practise pastoralist activities in Nigeria, including the Arabs, Kanuri,
Kanembu, Shuwa, and Touareg (Blench 2010). However, this has made the real
identity of the herders obscure. In Nigeria today, farmer-herder conflict is an
enduring feature of social life in almost all the six geo-political zones in
the country. The phrase farmer-herder conflict is typically used to refer to
conflict between herding and farming groups. Using this word can be misleading
since it can suggest that herders and farmers are separate groups when in fact
most herders are nowadays farmers and many farmers may herd their livestock at
least on seasonal basis.
Centuries
back, many of the low-lying areas next to rivers in Nigeria were hardly used by
farmers because of some wide-range of reasons. One of such was the exposure to
diseases like river blindness and malaria. Another is the problem of erosion
peculiar to these riverine areas. These areas instead were mainly used for
grazing by nomadic herders and fishermen. However, the increase in Nigeria’s
population led to a need for much greater use of these lands, especially for
food production. During Nigeria’s colonial era, large irrigation schemes to
ensure freshly planted food crops became popular. Familiar problems relating to
land and water use, obstruction of traditional migration routes, livestock
theft and crop damage tend to trigger these disputes. But their roots run
deeper. Drought and desertification have degraded pastures, dried up many
natural water sources across Nigeria’s far-northern Sahelian belt and forced
large numbers of herders to migrate to various parts of the country like Benue,
Niger, Taraba states and the likes in search of grassland and water for their
herds. Insecurity in many northern states (a consequence of the Boko Haram
insurgency in the north east and of less-well-reported rural banditry and
cattle rustling in the north-west and north- central zones) also brings
increasing numbers of herdsmen to move to other parts of the country.
Herdsmen
moving into the rain forests of the central and southern states are going into
regions where high population growth over the last four decades has heightened
pressure on farmland, increasing the frequency of disputes over crop damage,
water pollution and cattle theft. In the absence of mutually accepted mediation
mechanisms, these disagreements increasingly turn violent, thereby, leading to
loss of lives and farmlands as the case may be. The menace of these herdsmen on
the farmers has been a major issue not only in Benue state but also in various
states (Taraba, Enugu, Ogun, Kwara, Ekiti and so on) of the country. This has
been trending on various social media like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram,
Snapchat etc. as a way of creating more awareness and also exposing their evil
deeds.
Finally, the
government and other concerned stakeholders must act fast to combat this
problem of herdsmen killing and destroying of fertile lands in the country most
importantly in Benue state and make sure there is adequate security of life of the
farmers throughout the whole federation. Therefore, this study will investigate
the crisis between herdsmen and farmers by using Benue state, Nigeria as a case
study from the year 2015-2017.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
One major
problem confronting world peace today is the manifestation of conflicts in
different dimensions across the globe. From Europe to America, Africa to Asia,
conflicts are common phenomena (Marshall and Gurr 2005 in Jeong, 2008). Nigeria
has experienced and is still experiencing conflicts of grave proportions among
several ethnic and religious communities across the states. These conflicts
significantly vary in dimension, process and the groups involved. Momale (2003)
observed that while some conflicts arise between same resource user group such
as between one farming community and another, others occur between different
user groups such as between herders and farmers or between foresters and
farmers. Adisa (2012) noted that the farmers-herdsmen conflict has remained the
most preponderant resource-use conflict in Nigeria. Blench (1996) asserts that
the rise in natural resource conflicts is as a result of human population
increase and the globalisation of the economy. According to Egwu, (2011)
Nigeria has experienced and is still experiencing conflicts of grave
proportions among several ethnic and religious communities across the states.
These conflicts significantly vary in dimension, process and the groups
involved.
However the
biggest challenge threatening the corporate existence of Nigeria today is
Herder-Farmer conflict particularly in the middle belt region. From Plateau,
Nasarawa, Kaduna, Taraba, Adamawa and Benue States, there has been unceasing
blows delivered by the Herders to the indigenous farming population. While the
Federal government has failed to come up with a pragmatic approach that can
solve the crisis, the daily news channels are littered with stories and gory
pictures of ongoing attacks. Inconsistencies in government policies seem to
exacerbate these conflicts. While the Benue State government has introduced an
anti-grazing law as a way of addressing this problem the federal government
seems confused, undecided and is even perceived as complicit. Unless something
decisive is done, These crises may become intractable. Herder-Farmer have been
in Nigeria for decades, and northern Nigeria has been the main theatre
witnessing the escalation of the crises especially in the north central area,
including Benue State particularly Kwande local government area which has witness
mass destruction of farm lands, houses and human genocide within the period
under review. people have deserted their farms and homes to seek refuge in
other places therefore becoming refugees and displaced persons.
This study
assumes that this problem can be tackled by identifying its root cause, its
manifestations and implications and by diverging and proffering solutions.
Herder-farmer conflict is an issue which has come to stay in Nigeria for decade
and it is fast growing by the day. The Northern and central Nigeria has been
the areas which the escalation of the crisis have been witnessed in mass. Benue
state, particularly has witnessed mass destruction of farm lands, houses and
human genocide within the period under review. People have deserted their
farms, houses etc seeking refuge in other places thereby becoming strangers in
other lands. This research contends that until something drastic is done the
devastation will continue and not only create more security challenges but
create demographic crisis of incalculable proportions.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The aim of
this study is to examine the crises between farmers and herders in Benue state
from 2015 – 2017 and to suggest ways of averting its occurrences first and
foremost and secondly on how to care for the victims of the crises. Importantly
the study aims at helping to build trust between Farmers and Herdsmen and to
suggest ways in which they can co-exist in a symbiotic relationship. However,
the objectives of this study are:
i) To investigate the causes of herders and
famers crisis in Benue State and to contribute to the solution of curbing the
menace.
ii) To identify the socio economic
implications of herder/farmer crisis in Benue State To examine the content and
context of the law as regards conflict.
iii) To study the prevalence of
Farmers-Herders conflicts in Benue state, Nigeria.
1.4 Research Questions
The
following are some of the questions which this study intends to answer:
i) What are the causes of herders and
famers crisis in Benue State and to contribute to the solution of curbing the
menace?
ii) What are the socio economic
implications of herder/farmer crisis in Benue State To examine the content and
context of the law as regards conflict?
iii) What is the prevalence of
Farmers-Herders conflicts in Benue state, Nigeria?
1.5 Significance of the Study
The recent
escalation of herder-farmer crisis has grossly robbed Nigeria’s rapid growth
and development as the conflict usually result in massive destruction of
cattle, food, property and human life. This obviously has caused the country a
lot of setback as development cannot thrive in such areas which are affected by
conflict. Therefore it is important to adopt a multidimensional approach to the
solution of this crisis, including the contribution of this study
Apart from
the fact that there is slow pace of development if any, the country also runs
the risk of a poor relationship among the various ethnic groups as such people
who formally love been involved will have the fear of travelling to the state
of their enemies. This study is therefore justified under the premise that, it
will serve as an eye opener for those who are affected by this particular
conflict, to foster peace amongst various communities across the nation. The
study could also serve as a reference point for other scholars in this study
area and students can also learn from it.
1.6 Scope of the Study
This study
will cover farmers and herders from Kwande Local government Area of Benue
state, Nigeria. This is because it focuses on the causes and effects of
Herdsmen and Farmers conflicts with particular attention on Benue state. While
it is true that these conflicts are becoming a national menace, we shall
however focus our attention only on Benue state. Though this conflict has
become one of the most topical subjects of our time, we are restricted to our
time frame of 2015-2017.
1.7 Limitation of the Study
The major limitation of this research
is the fact that we all are compelled to depend mostly on official information
to stitch together what we can glean. Often times the victims do not survive to
give their own side of the story. Official sources such as the Police have been
accused of complicity and partisanship, often times the actual casualty figures
are denied or deliberately played down. There is so much uncertainty and
confusion concerning this crisis. Another limitation to this study is dearth of
written document. To curb this problem, the study will use oral information.
There is also a problem of finance that would hinder the smooth running of the
study the time frame of the study is also limited.
1.8 Definition of Terms
The
following terms were used during the cause of the study.
Crisis: is any event that is going (or is expected)
to lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group,
community, or whole society.
Farmers:
persons engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw
materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of
raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock.
Herders:
workers who live a possibly semi-nomadic life, caring for various domestic
animals, in places where these animals wander pasture lands.
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