Journals of International Politics Volume 1, Issue 1, 2019, PP 53-74 Understanding Rural Violence in North-Central Nigeria: Experience from Nomadic Herdsmen and Rural Farmers’ Conflict 1Luke A Amadi, 2Good Hope Igwe, 3Uche Ukachikara 1, 3 Department of Political and Administrative Studies University of Port Harcourt Nigeria 2 Department of Educational Management Faculty of Education University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria *Corresponding Author: Luke Amadi Department of Political & Administrative Studies, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria ABSTRACT This study examines rural violence in north central Nigeria with experience from nomadic herdsmen and rural farmers’ conflicts. The objective of the study is to deepen knowledge on dynamics of rural violence by identifying and analyzing prevalence of such violence, as well as its impact on rural farmers and food crop production. In particular, the study seeks to identify possible efforts by the Nigerian government to mitigate the violent attacks. The study builds on relative deprivation theory and relational content analysis (RCA) methodology for qualitative data analysis. Direct field data from six (6) Local Government Areas (LGAs) in two States of the North Central Nigeria namely Nassarawa and Benue States were collected between January 2007 and September 2018.A mapping of comparative qualitative data on staple crop production from FAO Stats was conducted to determine decline in food crop production from 2007 to 2017. Additional authoritative data were generated from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and Crisis Group International 2017. Findings show that herder’s attacks had taken complex and incendiary dimensions resulting in killing of rural farmers, rural livelihoods vulnerability, destruction of food crops, systemic disempowerment of the rural farmers and decline in food crop production. In the alternative, policy options and recommendations including vulnerability mitigation strategies were made. Keywords: Rural Violence, herdsmen, livelihoods Vulnerability, Rural Development, Nigeria INTRODUCTION have reached an annual average of more than 2,000 from 2011 to 2016, for some years In 2018, the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) exceeding the Boko Haram insurgency (Crisis ranked Nigeria the third most terrorized country Group, 2017). in the world as a result of Boko Haram terrorism and nomadic herders attacks(GTI,2018).The The Global Terrorism Index (2016) reports that nomadic cattle herders And their attacks on rural in 2016, more than 1,200 people lost their lives farmers are not peculiar to Nigeria. It has been a to herder‘s attacks. This made the Fulani common problem across West and Central herdsmen the world's fourth deadliest group Africa (Mikailu, 2016). In recent times in (GTI, 2016; Mikailu, 2016). This point out the Ghana, rural communities complain of persistence of herdsmen and rural farmer‘s herdsmen destroying crops. A related scenario is conflict. The core implications of the violent prevalent in the Central African Republic which attacks on rural farmers and food production includes the incidence of clash between armed decline have not been given adequate scholarly Fulani herders and local militia stealing cattle. attention. This results in sectarian violence (Mikailu, Agricultural output increased by an estimated 2016). 4.1 per cent during 1993 compared to 1995 and In various parts of Nigeria, farmers and 1996 with increases of 3.5 and 3.7 per cent, herdsmen conflict has been ongoing over the respectively. The value of agricultural years. Available data suggest that the past five production constituted 38.7 per cent of the years, has witnessed the killing of thousands nation's GDP. In spite of the continued without precise account. A data by the survey of satisfactory performance of the agricultural open source report suggest that fatalities may sector, it still fell short of the 5.5 per cent Journal of International Politics V1 ● I1 ● 2019 53 Understanding Rural violence in North-Central Nigeria: Experience from Nomadic growth rate stipulated in the National Rolling provide further insights into debates on the Plan for 1997 – 1999(World Fact Book, ongoing violence. 2004).Since the 2000s; food crop production has The study argues that the ongoing attacks have persistently declined due to perverse herders been overly influenced by dispossession and attacks on rural farmers. deprivation of the rural farmers of their land and The largely subsistence agricultural sector has water for agriculture and subsistence by the failed to keep up with persistent killing of farmers herdsmen for the grazing of their cattle leading and Nigeria once a large net exporter of food, now to the dialectic struggle between herdsmen and imports food. According to 2004 estimate, the value farmers for survival hence persistent violence. of agriculture production constituted 30.8%; This has both ethno-religious, political and industry, 43.8 % and services 25.4 %, of the cultural undertones. The problem remains nation‘s GDP, respectively. The nation‘s GDP real contentious and has serious consequences for growth rate stood at 7.1% (CIA World Fact the underlying assumptions of relative Book, 2004). deprivation which has causal connections with The study of herders‘ conflict is remarkable for the ongoing rural violence. interrogation of some of the fundamental questions HEORETICAL RAMEWORK regarding rural violence including possible causes, T F vulnerability, and intervention and mitigation Divergent theoretical explanations have been strategies by the Nigerian state. In particular, there provided on rural violence from various is need to analyze the rural farmers and herdsmen perspectives. This study builds on the relative conflicts in a way, that puts the realm of rural deprivation theory which has been conceptualized violence transformation in the agenda of from various strands. Sociologist, Robert Merton contemporary development studies. used the term ‗social anomie‘ to describe aspect of deprivation. Merton (1938) argued that such In global contexts, this research inquiry provides anomie which could be a social construction leads compelling need to broaden the scope of the to deprivation. Sustainable Development Goals‘ (SDGs) agenda by re-examining the critical challenges of rural Relative deprivation has also been argued to have violence and vulnerability of the rural farmers as a emerged from a feeling of dispossession by a group threat to the rural poor and contradictory to or individual who could trigger violence inclusive development. (Runciman, 1966; Townsend, 1979). According to Peter Townsend (1979) relative deprivation is the The particular experience of the north-central denial of access to resources for subsistence or Nigeria has been both critical and topical in recent livelihood of an individual or a group. decades as it is one of the most incendiary in the ongoing debates on rural violence and insecurity. This theory puts in proper perspective the understanding of the fundamental trigger of the Against this backdrop, the present study makes violence in the particular case of our study a new contribution to both development studies and namely land. Walter Garrison Runciman (1966) the social sciences by advancing knowledge on reinforced the basis of relative deprivation as patterns and dynamics of rural violence in the north informed by material choices and quest by ―A‖ central Nigeria. The study is a contribution to the to have possession of what ―B‖ has. understanding of the ways in which rural violence Runciman(1966) draws attention to the question namely herder‘s attacks had re-emerged and of social justice as a modality to redress relative constitutes a clog to peaceful co-existence, economic survival and emancipation of the rural deprivation which increasingly accounts for inequality. farmers in north central Nigeria. Deprivation accounts for a number of factors This study argues that the problem of herders such as rebellion, wars and rise in resilient attacks require deeper reflections and a thorough social movements (Gurr, 1970; Olson, Herman analysis at the level of research and policy. To this and Zanna, 1986; Walker and Smith, end, the study provides on- the- ground evidence of 2001).Relative deprivation provides useful violent attacks and killings of rural farmers in some theoretical insights whichcould advance rural communities in Benue and Nassarawa states. knowledge on dynamics of rural violence in Both states are among the leading food producing north central Nigeria. areas in the region. The study reviews the theoretical literature and provides on-the ground The violence is linked to distortion, alienation field data which at the same time helps to and deprivation of the rural farmers of their land 54 Journal of International Politics V1● I1● 2019 Understanding Rural violence in North-Central Nigeria: Experience from Nomadic by the herdsmen who forcefully grazeon their of the rural farmers have been displaced, and farm resulting in destruction of their crops and disposed of their means of livelihood as a result subsequent violent crisis. of attacks by herders resulting in alienation from their daily subsistence. Similarly, Amadi and The relative deprivation theory explores the Anokwuru (2017) provide a data which suggest causes and effects of some of the fundamental that the increasing attacks results in decrease in problems inherent in the existential realities of food production as the farmers who are the rural farmers such as poverty, vulnerability,