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Published in: Society 3/2022

23-03-2022 | Original Article

Land-Related Conflicts and the Nature of Government Responses in Africa: The Case of Farmer-Herder Crises in Nigeria

Authors: Michael I. Ugwueze, J. Tochukwu Omenma, Felicia O. Okwueze

Published in: Society | Issue 3/2022

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Abstract

This article makes a case for state complicity in land-related conflicts, particularly as it concerns governments’ responses to farmer-herder crises in Nigeria. Two factors which characterize security architecture informed our assumption. First, is the increasing terror threat from radicalized herdsmen, and the consequences of displacements and deaths of thousands of citizens. Second, is the resort to self-defence by communities due to apparent failure of the state to provide security for their lives and property. Extant literature discusses the likely complicity of the central government of Nigeria in the increasing criminalities on the one hand, while on the other hand, opinions suggest that non-state armed groups are contesting the monopoly of force with the state. Thus, we are concerned with the issue of state complicity in the prevalence of farmer-herder conflict in Nigeria. We argue that there is a strong connection between the role of the governments (at all levels), which is suggestive of moral culpability, in land-related issues and the continual resurgence of farmer-herder conflicts in Nigeria. Timely and dispassionate deployment of state security forces is required as well as adoption of ranching policies in line with global best practices.

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Appendix
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Footnotes
1
Sahel region covers all or part of 12 countries from the Atlantic coast to the Red Sea: Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti. This area shares two climatic characteristics: one rainy season per year and August as the month of highest precipitation (Heinrigs, 2010, p. 5).
 
2
Mandera County forms part of a cross-border region between Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. On all three cross-border sides pastoralist communities are faced with severe livestock feed shortages and are highly vulnerable to recurrent droughts, which degrade rangelands and reduce access to traditional grazing areas (FAO, 2018). Combating drought in Kenya through Agro-Pastoralist Field Schools. Available at http://​www.​fao.​org/​emergencies/​fao-in-action/​stories/​stories-detail/​en/​c/​1170759/​.
 
3
Dr. Samuel Ortom, is the Executive Governor of Benue State, paper he delivered at the Princess Alexander Auditorium, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, on 7th May 2019.
 
4
Refer to the CVDs of Burkina Faso, the ‘local science’ of Kenya and the ‘Operation Cowleg III’ of the Upper West Region in Ghana.
 
5
This is a union of all the elected governors from southern part of Nigeria, including the South East (Enugu, Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi and Imo), South-South (Akwa Ibom, Delta, Edo, Bayelsa, Cross River and Rivers) and South-West (Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo and Oyo).
 
6
Military operations established to contain farmer-herder conflicts in the Middle Belt are known as Operation Harbin Kunama II; Operation Dokajji; Operation Ayem Akpatuma (also known as Operation Rat Race); Operation Safe Haven; and Operation Whirl Stroke I and II (Daily Trust; EASO, 2018).
 
7
Major General Abubakar Sa’ad (rtd) interview granted to Daily Trust (Nigeria) newspaper.
 
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Metadata
Title
Land-Related Conflicts and the Nature of Government Responses in Africa: The Case of Farmer-Herder Crises in Nigeria
Authors
Michael I. Ugwueze
J. Tochukwu Omenma
Felicia O. Okwueze
Publication date
23-03-2022
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Society / Issue 3/2022
Print ISSN: 0147-2011
Electronic ISSN: 1936-4725
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12115-022-00685-0

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