FROM FARMERS-HERDERS CLASHES TO BANDITRY
FROM FARMERS-HERDERS CLASHES TO BANDITRY
By:
Nurudeen Dauda
March 3, 2020
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In my observation, clashes between"farmers" and "herders"led to Armed banditry, but however, one of the major reasons that caused its is the"struggle"for land resources. From independence to date both human and cattle population have increased , but the size of the "land" has even reduced due to desertification and or climate change.
Other reasons often adduced for the aggravation of the clashes are the deliberate destruction of farms by herders, bastardization of cattle routes, neglect and or encroachment of grazing reserves, Jungle justice, maiming and killings of cattle.There were the allegations of extortion by the local judges, the village heads, and the police against the herders where cattle destroyed crops. That allegedly made the herders violent.
This is not unaware of the allegations of the "infiltration"of all"sorts of criminals"to armed banditry due to high rate of unemployment, illiteracy, poverty, proliferation of small and light weapons, drug abuse and thousands of kilometres of our porous borders.
Clashes among them usually occurred in our rural communities where police posts that are supposed to maintain law and order are hundreds of kilometres away. The herders allegedly became well-armed due to high rate of cattle rustling.The near absence of state authorities in the farming communities led to the formation of "vigilante"groups known as 'Yan Sa Kai . Soon after its formation, they were alleged to assume the role of the police, the prosecutor and the judge. That allegedly made the herders angrier! A whole group was often attacked due to the alleged crime of their kisman.
The moment herders entered towns , they were caught , beaten up, and sometimes got killed by the vigilante groups. It got to a point where they could not enter towns for weekly markets. These alleged suffering of herders made them formed a resistance groups.They prevented farmers from going to their farms in the bushes and those who dared them got killed.They often attacked, looted, raped, maimed and killed farming communities with impunity to due near absence of state authorities in most of our rural communities.
For us to get it right, we must deal with the above mentioned causes of the clashes with all the sincerity its deserves . Justice must prevail! Let's deal with the "causes" not to be overwhelmed by its consequences alone. Wiping out bandits without dealing with its roots cause will only be a temporary solution.
In my understanding, we must give extra ordinary attention to"cattle business"for us to end armed banditry. We must accept "cattle rearing"as a business not an ethnic issue. It is wrong to opine that because it is a private business , the government should not interven in it. Farming as a private business got (and is still getting) a lot of interventions from the government. Both farmers and herders are victims in the crisis. Both farmers and herders are Nigerians!
The history of Farmers -herders clashes is from time immemorial. It is well captured in our religious scriptures, but we have not"treat"the issue with all the seriousness its deserves. Our major fault is that we are into conflict "settlement"as against "resolution.There must be genuine interventions on cattle business .
May God bless Nigeria!