Arising from the renewed famers/herders clashes which appeared to have been put behind shortly before the last general elections, DONALD IORCHIR reports that calls are being made for proactive measures in order to checkmate the menace.
Just when everyone thought that the frequent clashes between farmers and herdsmen has died down in many parts of the country, the incidence has resurfaced with reported news of death in many places. This has once again spurred public discourse on the way forward.
On his part, a senior lecturer at the University of Abuja, Professor Solomon Ogbu has condemned the insensitivity of government to the growing conflict between farmers and migrant herdsmen with its attendant widespread loss of lives and destruction of property especially farm produce.
Ogbu consequently appealed to the federal government to stop paying mere lip service to the deteriorating situation and face the challenges of containing the rampaging herdsmen squarely bearing in mind the severity of the problem to the economy, the unity and peace of the nation.
The political scientist, who spoke at a one-day roundtable discussion on ‘Herdsmen/farmers Conflict and the Call for State Police’ organised by the Rosa Luxembourg Foundation in conjunction with the Department of Political Science and International Relations, University of Abuja, observed that the growing loss of lives as a result of clashes has largely affected the nation’s agricultural sector as farmers are now afraid to go to farms.
“As it is, there is a threat on food security if this trend is allowed to continue because no one wants to go the farm any more for fear of being killed. If the people who mass-produce food for the nation suddenly begin to develop phobia for farming, what is left of the food situation?”
He declared that the often unprovoked killings by armed herdsmen was sufficient impetus for relevant federal authorities to have since acted by taking more drastic measures to check the escalating confrontations more so as the conflict has gradually spread across several states of the federation.
Supports state police
Professor Ogbu, who was the lead paper presenter, traced the history of heardsmen/farmers clashes in Nigeria to pre-independent period. He frowned at the half-hearted efforts by previous and present administrations to tackle the menace concluding that disagreement cannot be wished away without concrete initiatives and proactive measures to permanently resolve the issues at stake such as the root causes of the conflict.
He vehemently condemned the situation where hundreds of lives are lost monthly and crops worth millions of naira destroyed due to the activities of migrant armed herdsmen who, at best, he said can easily be checked at the border areas by federal government agencies charged with border patrol and internal security matters apart from the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).
Ogbu warned that, “The situation has reached a point where farmers, who have been largely at the receiving end of the violence, might resort to self help to protect their crops and families especially as the existing internal security apparatus have fallen short of public expectation in defending the people.”
The lecturer remarked that the growing calls for state police was dictated by the people’s desire for better security in rural areas while at the same time recommending the introduction of better legal measures by which to hold herders accountable for the actions of their cattle, he also called for improved border surveillance and the disarming of migrant herdsmen nationwide.
Ogbu said the proposal to create ranches and cattle routes should be vigorously pursued which modern tracking methods which should be introduced using micro-chips and other digital methods like it is being done now in Kaduna state to prevent cattle rustling, destruction of farmlands and wanton killing of farmers.
Holds contrary view on state police
Another lecturer, Adejobi Peter, who was also at the forum was attended by students and other members of the academic community, disagreed with the proposal for a state police and warned that misguided politicians would use such security apparatus as willing instrument to intimidate and harass political opponents. He, however, agreed that drastic measures should be implemented to check the herdsmen/farmers clashes.
The representative of Rosa Luxembourg Foundation, Angela Ogar, in an interview later described the quality of presentations as impressive, saying she hoped that the discussions will help to generate sufficient interest in finding a permanent solution to the needless farmers/herdsmen clashes in the country.
According to her, “The farmers/herdsmen clashes can be resolved because there are alternatives to the situation. As Nigerians, we have the responsibility of promoting peace in the communities by not taking laws into our hands. We believe that platforms like the one we just completed will provide opportunities to discuss the issues and challenges to enable us get solutions and progress as a nation.
“The fastest way for a nation to progress is by ensuring that there is peace within every community. Violence, killings and mayhem will not lead us anywhere and one of the realities of violence is that no one knows who will become its victims or when it will end. When we realise that no one has monopoly of violence, it then behooves on us all to foster peace and accommodate each other in our various communities,” she stressed.
Support for state police
The dean, Faculty of Social Science of the university, Professor Yusufu Alli Zoaka, also in an interview commended the quality of the discussion describing it as robust even though, he said, there were divergent views on the issues raised especially as it affects the call for state police.
“As for me, I think that there should be state and local government police to enhance security in the rural areas and help monitor the trend where migrating elements have brought violence to many peaceful communities in the country. The problem of insecurity is very serious and we need to take far-reaching steps to solve the problem,” he said.
Professor Zoaka remarked that the present threat of violence has become so enormous and has overwhelmed the state police such that nothing should be spared to ensure that security apparatus is provided in each community in Nigeria.
