Farmers-Herders’ Contest: Breaking the tentacles of cruelty with responsive security architecture

Herders-Farmers crisis is one phenomenon of note which has lingered too long across the Nigerian Federation. The contest which recently assumed more disturbing notations, has largely built overtime with displeasures on the premise of herders who encroach on farmlands to feed their cattle, at the expense of farmers. The menace which attracts displeasure from farmers in what they have described as a “sabotage” of productive efforts, has times without number led to face off which has resulted in unpleasant outcomes with fatalities. In so many instances, farmers have largely been at the receiving end of losses to their crops and in critical cases, loss of lives. Narrative of reprisal attacks by armed herders group on host communities of farm settlements after cases of face-off between farmer and nomadic herdsmen has been one characterised with horrendous sensations.

Since the disposition of cruel nomads among the herders has been observed to be preponderantly inhumane, the orientation rising from the horrendous experiences has brought up the perception of viewing every nomad as a practical maniac and a threat who cherishes and places high value on cattle above human lives and every other economic resource. The predominant records of cruel attacks by armed herders against farming communities have most recently generated counter-offence with potentials of threats of civil and ethnic face-off. The experiences of rising spate of herders’ attacks against farmers, their settlement, and farming communities, have led to calls in recent time on the government to proscribe those described as “Fulani herdsmen.” The call at some point had moved to the edge of demands to declare them as a terrorist group. The  refusal of the Federal Government to follow suit in honouring this call, has led to the perception of viewing the Government as being partial in favour of a particular ethnic group.

From an opposing angle, one argument which has been advanced to justify why the proscription may not be feasible, is the position that the fact that some herders have been found culpable of gruesome attacks against farmers and their communities, does not justify and cannot stand as a basis to adjudge all herders and the Fulani ethnic group as terrorists. Since the argument may be deemed tenable that the gruesome experience of the escapades of many herders cannot be generalised to proscribe all, it therefore behooves the Government to check the table of reason to embrace more enlightened and forceful strategies to address the prevailing situation.

One of such recent move that gives resemblance to a step towards this, was a development by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) which on Monday relaunched its Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) in Oyo State and deployed 150 personnel to tackle farmers and herders clashes in the State. It is reminiscent that Oyo State among other South-West States has had its fair share of violence emanating from contest between herders and farmers. The recent face off had led loss of properties in millions of NaIra and disruption of law and order.

On the new development by the NSCDC, the Commandant in Oyo state, Iskilu Akinsanya, while disclosing the development after reviewing the performance of the corps in the State in January, had said though the CTU had been in existence for a long time, it had been under-utilised. According to him, the corps would create additional area commands in Saki, Egbeda and Kishi as well as make efforts to inject fresh ideas into the divisional offices. He was quoted: “We are re-launching the unit now and we will partner with the 2 Division, Nigerian Army, for further training. We are having about 150 personnel from this unit that will be deployed to various locations in Oyo State to tackle herders and farmers’ clashes, and other insecurity issues. They will work with the Agro Rangers, which has been upgraded; we are now into the use of electronic devices for urgent security information and not only relying on use of human security.”

It is imperative for the Government to venture into more of restructuring and strengthening of security architectures to proactively address security threats, with emphasis on the necessity of curtailing the escapades of cruel elements among nomadic herders in the Country. This is paramount to forestall the blink of the possibilities of ethnic face-off that may erupt, should the pressing contests and grievances of farming communities persist over the encroachment and destruction of their farmlands as well as gruesome attacks unleashed upon them in response to such uncivil escapades.

It is paramount that full attention be directed with utmost alacrity towards addressing the heating of the polity by reason of the troubling phenomenon. Demands lie on the Federal government to deploy forceful operations to stem down the prevalence of the attacks suffered by farmers in their settlements for the time being. In the long run, it is imperative that the Government device and employ strategic measures with  systemic approach that creates operational architectures within  security agencies, such that they can complementarily move in systemic lines of proactive compartment to forestall in future time, the predominant face-off between farmers and herdsmen. Such system should cater for the need of local security apparatus for farm settlements. It is significant that such architecture give premium importance to effective communication channels, where residents of farm areas can extend intelligent information to security agencies unfettered, with elements of prompt and timely response by the latter.

The human and economic losses occasioned by the mayhem have had debilitating effects on social and political sphere of life in the Country. The record of food inflation most recently hold strong bearing to the enormous destruction of farmlands in communities across the Country. The fear of sabotage and attacks have continued to discourage farmers from investing largely into large-scale cultivation. The debilitating effects are beginning to tell on the Country, with increasing lamentations over acute hunger amidst economic recession and food inflation. It is instructive for the Government to attend timely, strategically and appropriately.