By Emma Amaize, South-South Regional Editor, Sam Oyadongha, Ozioruva Aliu, Dan Abia, Ochuko Akuopha
Farmers and other stakeholders of the South-South region have called on President Bola Tinubu and governors of the oil states to stop herders from invading their farms and destroying their crops this year as they did in previous years to avoid food crises and needless skirmishes.
The farmers warned they would not condone herdsmen’s unwarranted incursions into their farmlands, where cows ate and damaged the crops they labored to cultivate. They noted that the planting season was about to commence, and they needed to alert President Tinubu and all the South-South governors.
The stakeholders, who are anti-open grazing, faulted the contention of the Miyetti Allah, a Fulani socio-cultural association, that the herders were not empowered to practice ranching.
The bill before the National Assembly is for an Act to Establish the National Animal Husbandry and Ranches Commission for the Regulation, Management, Preservation, and Control of Ranches throughout Nigeria and Connected Purposes in 2024.
The National Secretary of the Miyetti Allah, Saleh Alhassan, who insisted last year that the group would resist the bill, said: “Laws are meant to promote love, peace, harmony, and development. The law will not work. No one will respect such a law because you can’t come overnight and destroy our economy through a pronouncement. How many laws have they enacted, and how many are working in this country? They want to create a crisis. They want to push us, herders, into rebellion, and we say they will fail.”
The Northern Elders Forum, which asked the federal government to initiate policies and programs to transition open grazing to ranching, safeguard herders’ interests, and address security challenges, has long endorsed the Miyetti Allah position.
The spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, said, “NEF recognizes the importance of addressing the challenges posed by open grazing and the need for a more sustainable and modern approach to livestock management. However, the forum is aware of the concerns raised by some northern senators regarding the potential impact of the proposed law on the livelihoods of pastoralists in the region.”
Ranching is the way to go —Usigebu, Edo AFAN
The Edo State Chapter Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Comrade Jay Usiegbu, narrated how the chase by the Amotekun in the South-West region pushed herdsmen to the South-South and lamented the indignities it subjected farmers in the state.
According to him, “It is a bad situation for us because, in the western part of the country, we have the Amotekun flushing all the forests of herdsmen and criminal elements. As they flush them out, they naturally find their way southwards and to other parts. For instance, in Edo State, farmers affected in the Sobe axis and Owan axes could not even access their farms during the harvest. The government should provide land for ranching while the herders move their cows there and pay some stipends. Anybody discovered outside the zone will be seen as a trespasser and treated as such and prosecuted.”
Herders causing farmers economic hardship —Ujene, Delta North livestock c’ttee chair
The Delta State Livestock Management Committee Coordinator in Delta North senatorial district, Delta State, Mr. Matthew Ujene, agreed with Usiegbu. He said, “Ranching is the best way to go. If you look at the amount of money the herders pay as compensation, it is meager compared to the value of the crops they destroy. Sometimes, they will destroy farmland worth N2 million and pay the farmers N200,000. If you look at it, many farmers lose money, so ranching is very important. Let them begin ranching; that is the only way we can manage the situation. The destruction of crops is causing economic hardship to the farmers. The herders should look for money and a place for ranching, as this will also create revenue for the communities and job opportunities for people cutting grass and selling it to them.”
Protect farmers, Ese begs Diri
A farmer in Bayelsa State, Samuel Ese, commended Governor Douye Diri for the passable calm between farmers and herders in the state compared to other parts of the country and urged him to protect farmers and their crops from herders. According to him, “Some stubborn herders still graze their cows in defiance of the anti-grazing law; the number is relatively smaller this year (2025) compared to last year (2024).”
Herders can’t command the country —Morris, environmentalist
Mr. Alagoa Morris, an environmentalist, said: “Cattle rearing is a part of the livestock farming business; I have not heard it is a federal, state, or local government business. It is purely a private business. This outdated practice of roaming about with cattle in Nigeria should be stopped by all legal means possible. And the herders cannot dictate for the country or crop farmers, whether the cattle owners are from the locality or other parts of the nation. Cattle owners should search for appropriate land large enough to contain their herds, negotiate with landowners or state government, and occupy such lands on a lease basis. Those who want to buy for slaughter can buy from such places. Cattle meant for rearing and reproduction purposes too should be so confined. The length and breadth of the landmass of Nigeria do not belong to the herdsmen to roam freely, destroying other people’s property and having the guts to use machetes or guns on victims of their roaming. This is injustice; any government that allows it is unjust. The act is a recipe for a national crisis and has a positive relationship with food security issues—scarcity. Herders, from the killings attributed to them in parts of the country, especially Benue State, should be identified as terrorists.”
Powerful cartel using herders to test-run expansionist agenda —Akene, devt. consultant
A development consultant, Surveyor Furoebi Akene, asserted: “For me, the word herders/farmers conflicts is an aberration and unfair to the farmers. Conflict is when two parties disagree over an issue; in this case, farmers doing their legitimate business are attacked at will by the herders, who have a penchant for criminality. Unfortunately, the government, whose primary responsibility is to protect lives and properties, is aloof, as the herders invade and destroy people’s investments. Herding is a private business, and so also is farming, all working for their private and corporate gains, so why must herders invade defenseless farmers on their land, destroy their crops, maim, and kill them, and the government is watching? Some fundamental questions one may ask are: are the herders above the law in this country? Where are they getting the arms and ammunition they are using to attack the innocent, law-abiding, and helpless farmers? With the unhindered display of criminality with maximum impunity of the herders, how many have been arrested, prosecuted, and convicted where applicable? These and many more questions are begging for answers.
“From their antics and activities, I have no alternative but to say that they are not herders but a criminal gang supported by some powerful cartel using them as bait and testing the ground for more destructive exploits in the future. A well-anticipatory plan of conquest is not ruled out. For the government and people of the South-South and others, if they are not awakened now with all the signals that abound, they will have themselves to blame when the time comes. The solution is for the federal, state, and local governments to institute their security systems to secure the law-abiding, arrest, and prosecute the perpetrators to give justice to all. The laws should be unbiased and applied to all, not treat some as sacred cows or above the law; otherwise, it could worsen with time.”
We have a burden to defend our farmlands if… Amaebi, lawyer
Clarkson Amaebi, a legal practitioner in Bayelsa State, said: “The Miyetti Allah statement echoes the position of the northern leaders concerning grazing. The herds are owned by the leaders who see Nigeria as their private property. They have indoctrinated the herders; they show it in might. There are numerous accounts of collateral havoc on communities in the South where farmers protest the destruction of crops in their farmlands. The high cost of ranching, as stated by Miyetti Allah, sustains their perception of elevating cows over and above human lives. Even in the South, particularly the South East, they practice ranching. The few people who own cows do not allow them to roam to their neighbors’ compounds or farmlands to destroy crops. The herders have never considered ranching as an option. But we have the option to protect our farmlands.”
Herders should restrain their cows —David West, CLO chair
Chairman of the Civil Liberties Organization, CLO, in Bayelsa State, Mr. Bekinwari David-West, asserted: “The herders cannot be allowed to use their animals to destroy the farms of these farmers, who in most cases are not supported by the government. My position on this issue is that herders should have a place to confine their cattle for grazing. Miyetti Allah members should know that there is a law against open grazing, and Miyetti Allah is not above the law or bigger than the government. Herders should quit if they claim that ranching is costly.
