AMPLIFIERS OF HERDER–FARMER CONFLICTS IN BENUE
Joseph Mtemdoo Gbagyo LLB.,Bl,Cism
Legal Practitioner, Publisher, Strategy Consultant
08163431385 (sms only)
“The economic importance of River Benue is amplified deteriorating environmental conditions, desertification and soil degradation; breakdown in traditional conflict resolution mechanisms of land and water disputes; and proliferation of small arms and crime in rural areas amplifying conflict in Middle Belt.” This is the position of a policy document developed by Search for Common Ground in policy brief 2017.
Against the above backdrop, herder–farmer conflicts in Nigeria usually involve disputes over land and/or cattle between herders (in particular the nomadic Fulani) and farmers. The most impacted states are those of the Nigerian Middle Belt like Benue, Nasarawa, Taraba and Plateau.
Benue State for instance shares borders with Nassarawa, Taraba, Kogi, Enugu, Ebonyi and Cross State as well as with the Republic of Cameroun. The State comprises of 23 Local Government. Most of the communities and Local Government Areas (LGA’s) worst affected by the farmer herder conflict are: Agatu, Gwer-West, Guma, Makurdi, Tarka, Buruku, Katsina-Ala and Logo). The state is made up of the following ethnic groups: Etulo, Abakpa, Jukun, Hausa, Akweya and Nyifon. The Tivs’ constitute the predominant ethnic group in 14 LGA’s, while Idoma and Igede and other tribe dominate nine LGA’s in the State takes the remaining 9 LGAs.
About 80% of the State Population are involved in agriculture with focus on farming and fishing around the river Benue and katsina- ala. Major crops produced in the State include yam, cassava, rice, maize, sorghum, soya bean, beni-seed or sesame , and groundnut and melon. The State accounts for over 70% of Nigeria’s Soya beans, rice, yam and citrus production in Nigeria.
Minerals available includes: Limestone deposited in Gboko, Kaolin, Glass sand, Barites, and Brick clay, Lead/Zinc, Coal, Gypsum and Salt in some part of Guma Local Government Area.
Since the Fourth Nigerian Republic’s in 1999, farmer-herder violence has resulted to the death killed thousands of people and displaced tens of thousands more. It followed a trend in the increase of farmer-herder conflicts throughout much of the western Sahel, due to an expansion of agriculturist population and cultivated land at the expense of pasturelands; deteriorating environmental conditions, desertification and soil degradation; breakdown in traditional conflict resolution mechanisms of land and water disputes; and proliferation of small arms and crime in rural areas.
Insecurity and violence have led many populations to create self-defence forces and ethnic militias, which have engaged in more violence. The majority of farmer-herder clashes have occurred between Fulani armed herdsmen and peasants fathers , exacerbating ethno- religious hostilities in Nigeria as some have viewed it as invasion rather struggle over natural resources .
According to the Global Terrorism Index, Fulani militants were the fourth deadliest terrorist group in 2014, using machine guns and attacks on villages to assault and intimidate farmers. After killing around 80 people in total from 2010 to 2013, they killed 1,229 in 2014. Most deaths occurred in the Nigerian Middle Belt, in particular in the states of Benue, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Plateau and Taraba, which recorded 847 deaths. The state of Zamfara, in the Northern belt, recorded 229 deaths. In addition to terrorist attacks, Fulani militants were also involved in non-state armed conflicts with groups from Eggon, Jukun and Tiv farming communities. These conflicts resulted in 712 deaths. The year 2016 saw further incidents in Agatu, Benue and Nimbo, Enugu State.
While the year 2017 saw relative peace, the year 2018 started with horror and gory stories of killings and destruction of lives and property. The question for the continuous attacks on the Benue communities has remain a mystery as why the herders are not relenting, but evidence shows the Economic Significance of Benue State is not far from the reason for these attacks.
Finally, Benue State is referred to as the ‘Food Basket of the Nation’ due to the vast arable agricultural land abundant in the State.
River Benue is the second largest river in Nigeria and other rivers like; river katsina -ala, River Gwer, Konshisha, Nagi and many other tributaries provide a viable source of water for farming and livestock. The economic importance of River Benue and other rivers is amplified by the fertile land along the bank of the river known as the Benue Trough which supports farming including dry season farming through irrigation, cattle rearing due to its green vegetation and the extraction of sandy soil for building and construction purposes.
The current humanitarian needs in Benue state is occasioned by the continuous farmers and herders conflict in the state dating back to 2009 and stretching to 2020 and now in 2021. In 2018, the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BENSEMA) estimated that 483,692 persons were displaced and living in IDP camps and host communities in safer areas within the same or neighboring LGAs across Benue State. Of this number 159,444 were children from 6-17 years comprising (85,626 males and 73,818 females) and 211,631 were adults from 18 years and above comprising (102,352 males and 109,276 females). Children 0-5 years constituted 112,617 of the total population.
Therefore , there is every need for the Government at the Federal, State and state level to look beyond the mentality of land invasion, but to take seriously issues of deteriorating environmental conditions, desertification and soil degradation; breakdown in traditional conflict resolution mechanisms of land and water disputes; and proliferation of small arms and crime in rural areas amplifying conflict in Middle Belt only then we can begin to see light in the tunnel of farmers -herders conflict.
