Farmers-Herders Conflicts in Nigeria: Rethinking the Influence of Foreign Herders in North Central Region

Abstract

The Farmers-herders conflict can be said to be as old as Nigeria's history, but has increased significant in the past decades. The migration of Fulani herders from neighbouring countries due to the porosity of the Nigeria’s borders has escalated the conflict, leading to security problems in the country. This paper explores the influence of foreign herders on the farmers-herders conflicts in North Central of Nigeria. The methodology used in this study is the qualitative approach; using the semi-structured interviews in collecting primary data, and the use of journals, articles, online publications and unpublished works related to the study as sources for secondary data. The study found an exacerbation of conflict occasioned by the influx of foreign herders and recommends that improved immigration regulations to ensure that all migrant herders entering the nation are properly registered and identified by their home country in line with the ECOWAS Transhumance Protocol. It recommends further that a task force should be established to work with the previously settled Fulani herders to detect and remove migrant herders who cross borders illegally, to assist in the internal management of migrant herders. Keywords: Conflicts, Farmers-herders, Forieign herders, Migration, Porous border