ABSTRACT
The study investigated the nature of the farmers and herdsmen crisis in Nigeria and examined the major factors responsible for the crisis in Nigeria. Also, it assessed the role of government in addressing the crisis and identified gaps in government responses to the farmers-herdsmen crisis. These were with a view to finding out the reasons why conflict management strategies employed by the government in response to the farmers and herdsmen crisis have not resulted in the end of the crisis. The study made use of solely secondary method of data collection. Secondary data was sourced from textbooks, journal articles, the internet, magazines, commission reports and newspapers. The result showed that climate change, encroachment on areas of land reserved for grazing by farmers and encroachment on farms by breeders, the proliferation of small arms and crime in rural areas etc. are triggers of the farmers and herdsmen crisis in Nigeria. It also showed that the federal government and the state government in states where cases of the conflict have been recorded have unilaterally and in collaboration come up with different statements, policies and actions such as; the deployment of security operatives to communities where clashes have occurred, the inauguration of several committees with the aim of coming up with recommendations to end the conflict and the formulation of policies intended to end the conflict such as the outlawing of open grazing in some states. Finally, findings reveal that the failure of the government to come up with preventive measures to curb the conflict; poor implementation of formulated policies; absence of religious.
INTRODUCTION
Conflicts between farmers and herdsmen have become a common feature of economic livelihood in West Africa (Tonah, 2006). In the period before the beginning of the 20th century, the problem was mainly restricted to the savannah belts of West Africa. Cattle rearing were common in the Sudan and Sahel savannah belts where crop production was carried out only during the short rainy season on a small scale. This gave the Fulani herdsmen
access to vast area of grass land in the savannah belts of West Africa.
As time went on, and with the introduction of irrigation farming in savannah belt of Nigeria in order to enhance
food security to support the
growing population in the country, more land was put to farming activities. This limited the access to the vast area which was initially used by Fulani herdsmen for rearing their herds especially along the river banks of savannah belts in the northern part of the country. There arose the need for
grazing movement to access pasture across regions in order to support herds (Tenuche and Ifatimehin, 2009, Solagberu and Oluwasegun, 2010).
According to Schama (1996), land, crops, livestock, water resources and vegetal resources played a key role in the development, maintenance
and projection of socio-economic strength of a society. Hence resource ownership and its utilization have resulted to conflicts involving man since time immemorial. Of all the aforementioned resources, land has remained an overwhelming source of conflict among various user groups as well as individuals. That is, conflict between Fulani herdsmen and farmers for the use of
agricultural land is becoming fierce and increasingly wide spread in Nigeria largely due to intensification and extensification of production activities that are necessitated by increasing human population (Gefu and Kolawale, 2005, Fasona and Omojala, 2002).
Vast geographical area of Guma local government area has placed farmers and herdsmen in a situation that compel them to live with the Fulani herdsmen particularly during the dry season (November to April). Moreso, that the Fulani herdsmen still practice the free range system. They move from one place to another in search of pasture and water. This usually forced them to migrate from far north to Guma local government area in Benue valley where both pasture and water resources can be found. This has increase the competition for arable land between Fulani herdsmen and farmers resulting to hostility and social friction among the two user groups in the local government.
The term conflict suggests differences and disagreement. According to Ofuoku, & Isife, (2009)
conflict is the simultaneous occurrence of two or more mutually antagonistic impulse or motives. This was further described by Wilson and Hana (1979) as struggle involving opposing ideas and/or limited resources. The general consensus among scholars (Vanderlin, 2005; Ekanola, 2004; and Deutsch, 1991) is that, all conflict share common qualities. The first is that there is a kind of contact between the parties that are involved. Secondly, the parties in the conflict perceive conflicting view. And finally, one of the
parties e.g. farmers and herdsmen, always wants to redress existing contradiction.
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