Herds men and the Security Challenge, By Dakuku Peterside

 

Following persistent attacks in Ibarapa area of Oyo State by suspected Fulani herdsmen, Mr Adeyemo issued an ultimatum to the herdsmen to vacate the area.

In the South West, Sunday Adeniyi Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho has recently been in the news. The self-styled Yoruba activist gained popularity (or notoriety) recently in the country after he led an attack against a Fulani community leader in Oyo whom he accused of harbouring Fulani herders engaging in criminal activities. Following persistent attacks in Ibarapa area of Oyo State by suspected Fulani herdsmen, Mr Adeyemo issued an ultimatum to the herdsmen to vacate the area.

When the ultimatum expired, he led some youth to the house of the head of the Fulani community in Igangan town , Abdulkadri Saliu, chased him out of the community . The Fulani leader, called the Seriki Fulani has since relocated to Kwara State with his family. Mr Adeyemo subsequently visited Ogun State and ordered herdsmen out in his self-appointed mandate of chasing Fulani herders out of Yorubaland.

In the South East on December 12, 2020, leader of Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, announced the formation of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Eastern Security Network (ESN). He claimed the purpose of the ESN is to protect Igbos against Fulani raiders. Unwilling to countenance the formation of a non-state-sanctioned paramilitary organisation on its territory, the Nigerian government was said to have deployed the army to locate ESN camps.

On January 22, Nigerian soldiers invaded Orlu in Imo State to search for ESN operatives. The resulting fracas caused the burning of buildings and death and injury of both soldiers and ESN members. On January 28, more than 400 Nigerian soldiers including Nigerian Air Force planes, were deployed to oust the ESN. The state government declared a curfew which caused civilians to flee the city in large numbers.

In the North Central, in a video clip that has gone viral on social media, Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, accused the Federal Government of protecting the interest of armed herders despite the atrocities they commit in different parts of the country worsening the security situation in Nigeria. The governor stated that there is insecurity propelled by armed herdsmen from North West, North East, North Central, South East, South West, and South-South. He argued that the Miyetti Allah leaders must be arrested and prosecuted for the crisis and the government must openly criticise, arrest, and prosecute Fulani herdsmen carrying AK47. He accused the federal government of playing Ostrich with the herdsmen crisis.

The above incidents are snapshots of some Nigerians’ security concerns and sentiments in the past few weeks across the country. They are baffling as they are harmful. Since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999, the country has been grappling with various security challenges – insurgency, kidnapping, and the herder-farmer conflicts. The herdsmen/farmer crises have demonstrated high potential to exacerbate the insecurity in rural and urban communities in Nigeria. Violence between Fulani herdsmen and farmers is one of Nigeria’s most persistent security problems and has left thousands of people dead in the past few years. This is part of the general security challenges in the country and the focus of today’s discourse.

The prevalence of the country’s security crises has become a significant concern for the well-meaning Nigerians considering the impact on the nation’s peace, security, and economy. Destruction of lives and properties arising from farmer-herder clashes has almost become an everyday affair in different parts of the country. These crises have led to acute instability, creating a fearful atmosphere that harms the economy as it discourages investors, both domestic and foreign.

In recent times, the herder-farmer clashes have taken a new dimension as host communities accuse the herdsmen of kidnappings, rape, murder, and all manner of criminal activities. They are perceived as a severe security threat in many communities in the North Central and Southern parts of the country. Today, the herdsmen’s actions might be viewed by many as the greatest threat to Nigeria’s corporate existence.

The origins of the farmer-herder imbroglio are well known. Farmer-herder crises in Nigeria occur due to resource scarcity; there is a growing scarcity of arable land, impending desertification of the Sahel-Savannah, and scarcity of water essential to sustain crop cultivation and cattle herds. The increasing desertification and the effects of climate change have further increased the herdsmen’s drive to move further south in search of grazing land and pasture for their livestock.