Clash Between Farmers-Herdsmen: a Threat to Food Securty in South East, Nigeria

Nnadiebube Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 4(1), 2020 CLASH BETWEEN FARMERS-HERDSMEN: A THREAT TO FOOD SECURTY IN SOUTH EAST, NIGERIA Egodike, Evangeline PhD1, Nnamani, Desmond PhD2, Pius Sai,idu & Okeke, Martin PhD4 1Department of Public Administration, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam 2Department of Public Administration, Enugu State University of Science & Technology, Enugu 3Department of Public Administration, Federal Polytechnic Nassarawa 4Department of Political Science, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Abstract The clash between herdsmen-farmers among communities in Africa has become a source of worry to its inhabitants with particular reference to Nigeria. The herdsmen have continued to rob, kill, maim and rape women with security operatives turning blind eyes on the activities of these herdsmen. The clash between herdsmen-farmers has displaced thousands of people from their different places of abode in South East states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states respectively. These have added to the challenges of food security in South East states as population displacement, massacre, non-cultivation of farmlands and burning of farm produce have resulted to dangerous reduction in quality and quantity of food supply in these and other areas in Nigeria that are afflicted in this menace. Following the increase and vociferous cries from the victims of the clashes the federal government is toying with the idea of introducing grazing bill in the national assembly. One of the major reasons adduced for introducing this bill is that cattle bill in Nigeria must become a sedentary occupation. That is the settlement of the herdsmen in one place with their cattle. Using descriptive analysis, the paper examines the causes and consequences of food security in Nigeria and concludes by affirming that food security will persist for a long time if the clash between herdsmen and farmers is not addressed properly with strong legislation Keyword: Conflict, Farmers, Displacement, Herdsmen, Food Security. Introduction Herdsmen-Farmers clash is a major issue in Africa and Nigeria in general; so far, thousands have been killed and many more have been displaced from their homes, and it appears Nigerian government is not willing to initiate any forceful action against the menace. Instead, they are busy requesting pieces of land from states to provide rampaging herdsmen with permanent grazing place (Adetu, 2016). This unimaginable consequence has assumed disastrous dimensions and this has led to a decline in the continued peaceful co-existence in the country. The hostility in north central states (middle belt) has extended to other geo- political zones across Nigeria (Nweze, 2005). The infusion of ethno-religious and political colourations have befuddled the understanding on the underlying character of herdsmen- farmers clash given audacious armed banditry, robbery, kidnapping, and cattle rustling perpetuated by the arms bearing herdsmen. Instead of framing the herdsmen-farmers violent 1 Egodike, Nnamani, Pius & Okeke Clash Between Farmers-Herdsmen … clash appropriately as contestation over valuable resource use, there have been growing tendency towards disguising it with ethno-religious uprising (Areola, 1992). Unlike the herdsmen who care about pasturing new land as a natural endowment like water and oxygen that cannot be owned, overtime farmers are more sedentary to cultivate land for agriculture and have a strong cultural, ethnic affinity and political attachment to land. However, pasturing is a way of life for herdsmen while farming serves as an occupation to farmers (Ajuwo, 2004). The herdsmen are predominantly a pastoral group, arable farmers that are not homogenous but cut across many tribes and regions in the country. However, the herdsmen contribute to environmental sustenance, food security, economic stability properly harnessed as aid to security agencies in their surveillance duties due to the porosity of our borders. The destruction of farmland and crops by livestock encroachment will always generate altercation between the two agricultural occupational groups. The recent killings in Ezinese Awgu, Ukpabi-Nimbo, Uzo-Uwani and Akegbe-Ugwu, Nkanu West local government area of Enugu state by Fulani herdsmen have continued to dominate the headlines of our national dailies. Also communities live in fear to engage in farming activities as herdsmen forcefully acquired massive farmlands belonging to the people for grazing activities and settlement in Agbakwe, Ette, Akpakwumenze, Ebe, Opanda, Ibagwa, Ukana, Oruku, Isi-ogbo nara all in Enugu state. Fulani herdsmen engage farmers in feuds that often result in serious causalities on both sides, while farmers accuse the herdsmen of farm land encroachment, the herdsmen blame farmers and members of their communities for rustling their cattle. In time past, herdsmen and their farmers used to have a symbiotic relationship because cattle served as means of transportation for daily goods and manure to fertilize the fields for farmers; the herdsmen in turn obtained grains and other farm produce from farmers. But the expansion of farming activities invariably led to demand for farmlands, drastically reduced supply of grazing land, encroachment of flocks of cattle frequently on cultivated fields constitute major sources of unending friction between the two groups. The South East Voice reports that suspected Fulani herdsmen had maimed and killed villagers in Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia and Imo states in last few months without any arrest of the culprits (Ayo, 2016). It has been revealed that most of these herdsmen carry sophisticated weapons like daggers laced with poison, machetes, AK 47 and pump action double-barreled riffles as well as dangerous charms and are ever ready to attack the farmers at the least provocation as they moved about with their cattle (Okoli and Igata, 2016). The major cause of this conflict according to Haro and Dayo (2005) is that they wade into the fields during growing season while their herds eat or trample on the crops due to herdsmen’s cattle’s stray Nnadiebube Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 4(1), 2020 movement which causes tension to rise. In most cases, youths in the affected areas actually decide to kill and eat up the Fulani’s cattle as mark of revenge against the destruction of their crops and farmlands (Schama, 1996). Similarly, Tonah (2006) asserts that the increasing farmer-herder conflict is due to the movement of pastoral herds to humid and sub-humid zones. The access to grasslands, water spots for animals, rival claims to land and government policies which individuals define socio-physical environments give rise to clashes between farmers-herders in recent times (Gbehe, 2009). In Imo state for instance between 1996 and 2005, 19 people died and 42 injured in farmers-herders clash. The report on clash in Nigeria between 1991 and 2005 found that farmer herdsmen clash accounted for 35% major clashes (Fasona and Omojola, 2005). Many local farmers suffered severe beating, flogging and molestation from herdsmen called bororos in Abia state reports of deadly clashes in Uzuakoli, Bende, Ebem in Ohafia and Umuchieze in Umunneochi local government council. Many Fulani herdsmen transported to Awka, Nkpor near Onitsha all in Anambra state and dispersed in some communities of south east to perfect their nefarious mission. It is pertinent to adopt structure which could mitigate this clash between farmers and herdsmen in the south-east, Nigeria as this feud has serious implication for food security in Nigeria. The main thrust of the paper is loss of livelihood in the South-east due to the Fulani intrusion in their land and this has adverse effects on food security. Clarification of Concepts Conflict Stagner (1967) defined conflict as a situation in which two or more human beings desired goals which they perceived as being obtainable by one or the other but not yet by both; each party mobilizing energy to obtain a goal, desired objective or situation and each party perceive the other as a barrier or threat to such goal. According to Akpaki, (2002) every farming system such as nomadic cattle heading has a boundary which separates it from the larger system, which make up the environment. The boundary represents the limit in the larger system. Farmers compete with nomadic herders for farm land, pasture, water, trees and use of range land in general. A conflict of interest is the adoption of opposing views by different actors which usually take the form of a non-violent competition for control of resources in a given area. Since farmers and herders have different values, custom, physical and cultural features, dispute between them are frequently characterized as ethnic conflict (Tonah, 2006). The extent group focuses around their economic interest protect the value, 3 Egodike, Nnamani, Pius & Okeke Clash Between Farmers-Herdsmen … culture and power of group (Schwartz, 2006). The Fulani cattle herders is a minority in host communities, they have a unique culture and strong solidarity. If conflicts between farmers or host community have an ethnic colour, the implication of clash would lead to huge loss of human and material resources. The cause and effect of clash between farmers and nomads in host communities is a pre-requisite for realizing goals of socio-economic development committed. Fulani Fulani herdsmen are nomadic or semi nomadic herders whose primary occupation is raising livestock. The pure Fulani pastoralist engages in random movement of cattle while the semi- nomadic makes transhumance migration and return to their camps or homes. The Fulani herdsmen are located in the Sahel and semi arid parts of West Africa but due to changes in climate patterns, many herdsmen have moved further south into the savannah and tropical forest belt of West Africa (Iro, 1994). The herdsmen are found in countries such as Nigeria, Niger, Senegal, Guinea, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire and Cameroon. In Senegal they inhabit north-east Ferlo and the south-eastern part of the country. In many of these countries, the Fulani constitute a minority group. Fulani pastoralists started migrating into Northern Nigeria from the Senegambia region around the 13thor 14th century.

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