The alleged killing of a herder at Talamu village, Ayedaade Local Government Area of Osun State depicts the continued tension between pastoralists and farming communities in the South-West. More worrisome, it demonstrates that open grazing of livestock has continued despite the enactment of laws banning it and the huge security challenges it has posed over the years. Governors of the zone’s six states must enforce the anti-open grazing laws to stem the incessant security breaches, criminality, and violence associated with the primitive practice.

Reports said one Paul Amaechi and other farmers responded to an earlier intrusion, grazing and destruction on his farm by cattle herders several days before, by ambushing and allegedly killing a herder in the ensuing confrontation. He was promptly arrested by security operatives following a report to the police in Orile-Owu.

‘Jungle justice’ should never be condoned and the suspect should face the full weight of the law. However, the Osun State Government must neutralise the potential for such incidents by enforcing its laws and stopping the encroachment on farmland by herders. The intrusive practice has caused innumerable crises, igniting reprisal attacks and civil unrest.

A June 2020 report by ReliefWeb described violent farmer-herder conflicts as the “new normal” in Nigeria, occurring in almost every part of the country and resulting in killings, arson, massacres, and ethnic battles. In a 2019 report, Foreign Affairs said about 10,000 persons were killed in the country because of the violent activities of herders and reprisals by locals.

Although most of the killings have occurred in the North-Central, the main perpetrators – Fulani herders and their militias – are active across Nigeria. They have troubled farming communities in the South-West too, and at a time made the highways unsafe through kidnapping and armed robbery.

Due to public outcry, governors responded with anti-open grazing laws and five set up a regional security corps, Amotekun, to battle the menace. Ekiti had blazed a trail and Ondo, Oyo, Osun, and Ogun followed suit. But enforcement has been uneven and sometimes on-off. Lagos has demurred in creating its own Amotekun component.

report resurgence in the frequency of assaults on their farms across the region.

In March 2023, residents of Ayede-Ogbese in Akure North LGA, Ondo State, complained of incessant attacks and abduction of residents by armed herdsmen from Chad and Niger Republic, backed by local Fulani. Also, some herdsmen invaded Molege village in Ose LGA in January 2022, razing houses and killing three people after residents reportedly refused them access to graze on their farms.

In June, residents of Ijagba community, Ose LGA, said Fulani herdsmen killed 20 locals. Herders have also been fingered in recent violence in Oyo, Ogun, and Osun states.

Security experts identify unwillingness by the Nigerian government and political elite to solve the problem and a lack of capacity to deal with it. The first is driven by ethnic, regional, and sectarian sentiments and was given unprecedented expression in the eight years of Muhammadu Buhari’s presidency. The second is driven by the country’s centralised policing structure that undermines its natural federal configuration.

The livestock business has great potential and should be modernised. The National Livestock Reform Committee says pastoral farming contributes 44.4 per cent to agriculture GDP in Nigeria with 156.31 million ruminants, the largest in Africa. This however falls short of its potential when compared with Mauritania with Burkina Faso where it contributes 53 per cent and 55 per cent of agricultural GDP respectively.

The Nigeria Police should strictly enforce the law everywhere. South-West governors should strengthen Amotekun, and enforce the anti-open grazing laws, and create a favourable environment for private investment in ranching and meatpacking.

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