TRANSHUMANT PASTORALISTS AND INSECURITY IN NIGERIA – PART II. by Mohammed Bello Tukur Esq. Ag. Secretary General of Confederation of Traditional Herder Organizations in Africa (CORET) – Nigeria.

As indicated in the first part of this article the conflict between Transhumant Pastoralists, particularly the Fulbe and sedentary/host groups in Nigeria had assumed a very wide and dangerous dimension. This is due to the movement of pastoralist southwards in search of pasture, farming and occupation of traditional grazing areas and stock routes (burtali), pastoralist fleeing one conflict zone into another without prior notice.

The intensity of the conflicts could be attributed inappropriate government agricultural policies tending to favour crop producers above livestock breeders particularly pastoralist, cultural clashes, inflow of religious, political and ethnic issues into natural resource use conflicts, land becoming a political tool for ascension to power (indigene/settler questions), the marginalization of traditional community leaders in dispute resolution and conflict…