The Menace of Crop-Destroying Cattle, and The PEACEFUL Way Forward.

I humbly and respectfully appeal to Nairaland's moderators to kindly allow this important and timely topic to remain a part of the politics forum, for the simple reason that lives have been lost by the hundreds if not by the thousands, as a direct result of INTENTIONAL cattle damage to farmland crops, particularly in Nigeria's Middle Belt, where entire villages have been decimated by heavily armed backers of marauding cattle herders, sent to wreak mayhem whenever farmers are bold enough to protest the loss of their crops and livelihood to the destructive foraging of nomadic cattle herds.

The Predicament :

In an un-named state in Nigeria's south, meetings were recently convened by military authorities, for the attention of civilian vigilante crime fighting group leaders, and traditional rulers. This series of emergency meetings, presided over by the highest ranking military and police officials in the state, have reportedly been replicated in ALL local government jurisdictions within the Nigerian federation, in accordance with direct orders emanating from the seat of power - the Presidency.

The primary message conveyed by Nigeria's regional military and police officials to traditional rulers and civilian vigilante groups is as follows : ALL Fulani cattle herders, long known to secretly carry hidden military assault rifles issued "for the protection of their cows", have now been OFFICIALLY recognized as a legitimate armed force, authorized to possess and operate machineguns comparable in annihilating power and capacity to those issued to the military's front line troops, for the purpose of neutralizing with any farming communities that prove foolhardy enough to try and expel grazing cattle from the ancestral farming land.

Mass killings of entire farming communities in Benue State and more recently in southern Nigeria's Igbo heartland, all arising after farmers tried to evict crop-destroying cattle from privately-owned farmland, comprise sobering testimony that conclusively establishes precisely where the true power lies in today's Nigeria.

The only proviso applicable to the armed Fulani cattle herders is that so as not to unduly frighten the host victim communities whose crops their cattle routinely consume as free fodder and without consequence, the cowboys have been admonished to continue transporting their private weapon arsenals in saddle-bags strapped to their cattle, as they have done all along for the past couple of decades, evidently inspired by their nomadic counterparts that freely roam the hinterlands of Somalia and Ethiopia, while armed to the teeth with full-auto infantry weapons that sometimes include RPG7 grenade launchers.

During recently held meetings called to formalize and publicize the free and unrestricted cattle grazing permits now granted for the entirety of Nigeria's landed territory, the regional military and police officials cautioned civilian vigilante leaders that they have NO right to approach or challenge any Fulani cattle herdsman who "accidentally" displays his legally possessed full-auto weapon of war. The vigilante representatives were ordered, rather, to convey to their rank and file that any sightings of cattle herders, exercising their unofficial right to brandish machine-guns as their cattle ravage crops in southern Nigeria, should be addressed ONLY by reporting to the local police, who in turn are under strict orders to POLITELY, TIMIDLY and RESPECFTULLY appeal to the cattle herdsmen to kindly keep their machineguns hidden, as per their newly approved pact with the federal government.

The Peaceful Solution :

The solution to the menace of cattle herd crop destruction is indeed a chemical solution provided, ironically, by the cows themselves. This magic potion is elegant in its simplicity, and made up by collecting cow dung at the abattoir, soaking it in water for a day or so, before filtering out the grass and debris by pouring the soup through a piece of cloth. This smelly concoction is then ready to be SPRAYED ON ALL CROPS, in order to render those crops 100% IMMUNE to cattle damage. Cattle will NEVER eat any vegetation that stinks of their own excrement, no matter how hungry they are to graze. During the rainy season, this HIGHLY EFFECTIVE and FREE cattle-repellent spray may need to be reapplied after each rainfall, which could get labour intensive, HOWEVER that labour cost will always be WAY more affordable than the devastation of total crop loss to the rampaging cows of Nigeria, and their heavily armed, government backed herdsmen.

As for changing government policy on this particular issue, it is safe to say there would be ZERO hope of success in any such endeavour for the next few years, thus making the option of home-made cow repellent all the more attractive. Farmers take note. This spray method is not harmful to cows. It only persuades the cattle to vote with their noses, and leave your hard-earned crop investments alone, so that you the farmer can reap where you sowed, PEACEFULLY.

Please find enclosed a few pictures of how CIVILIZED nations raise cattle.

brb

limeta:
brb

Na so.

The ground is being prepared for the FORCIBLE take-over of farm land in Nigeria's south, by invaders herding cattle from the north, and backed by the might of the federal government. Not to worry, Nigerians are very skilled at the art of survival, and will soon find a way to cook and eat cow turds.

E get as e be.

Beware of snares in farmlands.
Hidden in plain that the army's camo wear.

firestar:
Beware of snares in farmlands.
Hidden in plain that the army's camo wear.

Cow rearing banditos from northern Nigeria have been assured that they are now OFFICIALLY free to destroy food crops EVERYWHERE in Nigeria, from the barren northern deserts to the Atlantic seaboard, using their tick-infested cattle as the biological weapon of choice.

In furtherance of that famine inducing agenda, those genocidal cow herders have now become the ONLY civilians in Nigeria that are OFFICIALLY permitted to carry and freely use military assault rifles for the purpose of neutralizing all farmers that offer resistance to the destruction of their livelihoods by those feral cattle herds fanning out across the nation with renewed vigor and determination to wreak unmitigated havoc.

There is no cause for concern, since Nigerians will surely adapt when all crops vanish before harvest, simply by eating cow manure, augmented by catching and cooking cattle egrets, those beautiful white birds that eat ticks and lice from their host cattle's bodies.

I submit that the only permanent solution to this little misunderstanding between the herders and consumers,is for the consumers to prepare grazing corridors as a green carpet reception across the length and breadth of Nigeria as a sign of Respect for the unsang patriotic fulani herdsmen who has been feeding this nation with endless supply of meat.

Almajiri1:
I submit that the only permanent solution to this little misunderstanding between the herders and consumers,is for the consumers to prepare grazing corridors as a green carpet reception across the length and breadth of Nigeria as a sign of Respect for the unsang patriotic fulani herdsmen who has been feeding this nation with endless supply of meat.

Buy your land at fair market prices per hectare, and use it as you wish. This ridiculous plan to grab land forcibly will only end in calamity.

Your amusing "grazing corridor" idea would best be inserted in your rectum where it belongs. Government has NO business GRABBING private land.

If you regard the genocide of farming communities as a "little misunderstanding", then you are clearly a direct beneficiary of the mass murder being perpetrated by your "patriotic" crop thieving cowboys, and you indeed celebrate the death of all farmers and their families who stand in they way of your claim to forcible ownership over ALL Nigeria's landed property, whether private or state owned.

Jakumo:


Buy your land at fair market prices per hectare, and use it as you wish. This ridiculous plan to grab land forcibly will only end in calamity.

Your amusing "grazing corridor" idea would best be inserted in your rectum where it belongs. Government has NO business GRABBING private land.

Land is nobody's exclusive right.It is a free gift of nature to humans and animals.

Let the natural law of might is right and survival of the fittest take it's course.

My people are well prepared.

Almajiri1:

Land is nobody's exclusive right.It is a free gift of nature to humans and animals.

Let the natural law of might is right and survival of the fittest take it's course.

My people are well prepared.

Your honesty is refreshing. You are a very proud thief, who feels it is perfectly alright to grab PRIVATE land forcibly.

Time will tell how that policy of armed robbery works out for you, but in the meantime buy land for your cows in the Sambisa Forest where critters of your ilk are very welcome.

Given your claim that there is no such thing as private land ownership, perhaps you won't mind vacating your personal home so that area boys and beggars can occupy it and help themselves to whatever they can find therein, since in your view ALL land belongs to ALL people.

Jakumo:


Your honesty is refreshing. You are a very proud thief, who feels it is perfectly alright to grab PRIVATE land forcibly.

Time will tell how that policy of armed robbery works out for you, but in the meantime buy land for your cows in the Sambisa Forest where critters of your ilk are very welcome.

Government has tried mediating in this little misunderstanding by proposing for grazing corridors for the patriotic herdsmen who has been supplying you with endless milk and meat which you rejected.

The natural law of nature should then be invoked.As you well know,my people are well prepared even without government 'help'

You have to start showing the fulanis their due respects or......

Almajiri1:

Government has tried mediating in this little misunderstanding by proposing for grazing corridors for the patriotic herdsmen who has been supplying you with endless milk and meat which you rejected.

The natural law of nature should then be invoked.As you well know,my people are well prepared even without government 'help'

You have to start showing the fulanis their due respects or......

Hopefully you do realize that you are likely to be banned from this forum if you go to the extent of issuing death threats, and if you could not care less about that, please go ahead and be more specific, so that the mods can be alerted to take the requisite steps that will neutralize your input to this particular forum.

Jakumo:


Hopefully you do realize that you are likely to be banned from this forum if you go to the extent of issuing death threats, and if you could not care less about that, please go ahead and be more specific, so that the mods can be alerted to take the requisite steps that will neutralize your input to this particular forum.

You disappoint me jakumo. I expected more.

Almajiri1:

You disappoint me jakumo. I expected more.

In all honesty, I do thank you for responding to my initial post, because there did not seem to be much interest in this subject, until you were kind enough to respond on behalf of the land thieves.

So while my view is diametrically opposed to your equally passionate stand, anything that ignites debate on this subject is a welcome development.

Ultimately, justice will prevail, but many lives will be lost along the way, while you relax in your Mayfair penthouse bought with oil money derived from the conquered Niger Delta, and urge your employees to annihilate more farmers back in Nigeria, in order to forcibly steal their land for the Caliphate.

Jakumo:


In all honesty, I do thank you for responding to my initial post, because there did not seem to be much interest in this subject, until you were kind enough to respond on behalf of the land thieves.

So while my view is diametrically opposed to your equally passionate stand, anything that ignites debate on this subject is a welcome development.

Ultimately, justice will prevail, but many lives will be lost along the way, while you relax in your Mayfair penthouse bought with oil money derived from the conquered Niger Delta, and urge your employees to annihilate more farmers back in Nigeria, in order to forcibly steal their land for the Caliphate.

I tried to ignite the thread by making a rattling strong case for the fulanis.It's understandably valid how you misunderstood my intent.

For the records,I'm for justice and against any form of oppression and evil.Justice in this case should be a two way thing.

Iam a Nigerian and grieved to see the amount of injustices in the land cut across creed,tribal and religious lines.

Almajiri1:

I tried to ignite the thread by making a rattling strong case for the fulanis.It's understandably valid how you misunderstood my intent.

For the records,I'm for justice and against any form of oppression and evil.Justice in this case should be a two way thing.

Iam a Nigerian and grieved to see the amount of injustices in the land cut across creed,tribal and religious lines.

Perhaps you are not the villain that your initial words seemed to suggest. All is well, brother man, and thanks for your input, regardless of whether your view and mine can ever be reconciled on the ground in Nigeria, where the poor bear the brunt of the fighting elephants.

Jakumo:


Buy your land at fair market prices per hectare, and use it as you wish. This ridiculous plan to grab land forcibly will only end in calamity.

Your amusing "grazing corridor" idea would best be inserted in your rectum where it belongs. Government has NO business GRABBING private land.

If you regard the genocide of farming communities as a "little misunderstanding", then you are clearly a direct beneficiary of the mass murder being perpetrated by your "patriotic" crop thieving cowboys, and you indeed celebrate the death of all farmers and their families who stand in they way of your claim to forcible ownership over ALL Nigeria's landed property, whether private or state owned.

You will soon realize you are conversing with an irredeemable core northerner who thinks god's will for him is the total domination of 'infidels'.
The simple thing to do is to mandating all cattle owners/rearers to cultivate hitherto uncultivated land for their cattle or resign to grazing only uncultivated lands. Imagine the case of a crop and poultry farmer who plants grains (corn, millets etc) largely for the purpose of feeding his poultry chickens. In the event of a cattle rearer destroying his crop and the authorities turning the usual blind eye, can we safely assume that cattles are more important to the economy than chickens or cattle rearers/owners are more important than poultry owners. If not then the govt is simply in the side of cattle rearers who see the crop farmers as irrelevant.

Lalasticlala do ur work na

An outright ban on nomadic grazing is better than spraying foods that would probably be consumed by humans with cow faeces.

Let all the states concerned overtly refuse and pass laws in that regard. Like I said countless times, nothing also stops Southerners from ranch farming. If done well, the level of competition would probably drive hersmen into more sustainable business practices lest they lose their source of livelihood.

Almajiri1:

Land is nobody's exclusive right.It is a free gift of nature to humans and animals.

Let the natural law of might is right and survival of the fittest take it's course.

My people are well prepared.

Why then do we have land owners(landlord)?
How does land equate to cultivated crop? I will appreciate a direct answer please.

Almajiri1:
I submit that the only permanent solution to this little misunderstanding between the herders and consumers, is for the consumers to prepare grazing corridors as a green carpet reception across the length and breadth of Nigeria as a sign of Respect for the unsang patriotic fulani herdsmen who has been feeding this nation with endless supply of meat.

Are fulani herdsmen feeding the nation with these milk and meat for free? If no, how does a crop farmer get money to buy his own meat and milk?
Please expantiate on the term consumer you used, who are these consumer?

BlackBaron:
An outright ban on nomadic grazing is better than spraying foods that would probably be consumed by humans with cow faeces.

Let all the states concerned overtly refuse and pass laws in that regard. Like I said countless times, nothing also stops Southerners from ranch farming. If done well, the level of competition would probably drive hersmen into more sustainable business practices lest they lose their source of livelihood.

You have referenced a very important consideration, Baron, namely the question of whether a cow dung spray applied to protect crops may have detrimental effects on the harvest.

For the two primary food crops grown in Nigeria, namely cassava and maize, you will be glad to learn that it is indeed perfectly safe to spray cow dung solution on the foliage of BOTH of these primary food crops. In the case of cassava, the edible portion of the plant is below ground, and as such is not in any way affected by a spray directed to the leaves of the plant.

Maize on the plant is sheathed in several layers of corn husk that will ensure there is ZERO residual contamination from the spray, which can also be directed at the leaves, rather than at the maturing corn cobs themselves.

An outright ban on nomadic grazing would of course be the ideal resolution to address the perennial crop destruction wrought by free-range feral cattle and their armed robber herders, BUT, under the current dispensation, Nigeria is effectively operating as a quasi-Apartheid rogue state presided over by a man who does not hide his utter disdain for crop farmers in the nation's agricultural south, and his absolute loyalty to roaming cattle herders invading from the desert north, to the extent of arming the cowboys with military assault rifles with which to freely massacre all farmers that attempt to prevent cows from ruining their life's work of cultivating the soil in farmland inherited from their ancestors.

The interim solution of spraying crops with cow dung is therefore to be regarded as a stop-gap measure that can be applied by individual farmers who have been rendered powerless in today's Nigeria, yet who have to survive one way, or another.

Standing5:
Why then do we have land owners(landlord)?
How does land equate to cultivated crop? I will appreciate a direct answer please.

Until there's a clear cut distinction between private property and common property in Nigeria,there are bound to be infractions between the herders and acclaimed owners.

In civilized societies,private properties are well defined and secured against unauthorised access.likewise farmlands are well mapped out and common property left which can serve for cattle grazing and can be used by everyone in the community.

Almajiri1:

Until there's a clear cut distinction between private property and common property in Nigeria,there are bound to be infractions between the herders and acclaimed owners.

In civilized societies,private properties are well defined and secured against unauthorised access.likewise farmlands are well mapped out and common property left which can serve for cattle grazing and can be used by everyone in the community.

In the United States of America, government owned land is managed under the jurisdiction of the BLM ( Bureau of Land Management ). To the best of my limited knowledge about Nigeria, the vast majority of state-owned land happens to be located in the NORTH of the country, such that even if government-owned land is to be handed free of charge to cattle farmers through the back door, 99% of that exercise will only occur in the north of Nigeria, from where these famine inducing cattle herds originate in the first place.

Almajiri1:

Until there's a clear cut distinction between private property and common property in Nigeria,there are bound to be infractions between the herders and acclaimed owners.

In civilized societies,private properties are well defined and secured against unauthorised access.likewise farmlands are well mapped out and common property left which can serve for cattle grazing and can be used by everyone in the community.

You are implying that the herdsmen don't know where farmlands starts and stop but you n I know that's not true. Crops in ridges are clearly seperated from weeds.

Standing5:
Are fulani herdsmen feeding the nation with these milk and meat for free? If no, how does a crop farmer get money to buy his own meat and milk?
Please expantiate on the term consumer you used, who are these consumer?

You are a consumer as long as you've ever been served with Fulani cow meat which facts have shown are the cheapest when compared with other worlds.

Standing5:
You are implying that the herdsmen don't know where farmlands starts and stop but you n I know that's not true. Crops in ridges are clearly seperated from weeds.

These are verifiable facts.The fulani are not nurturing SMART-COWS which has the ability to know that a small farm might be hidden in the midst of a forest.

Almajiri1:

You are a consumer as long as you've ever been served with Fulani cow meat which facts have shown are the cheapest when compared with other worlds.

Always avoiding one question and giving a dull answer to the other. Were the fulani men forced to serve the consumers at a cheap rate or for free? You answers have been weak so far.

Almajiri1:

These are verifiable facts.The fulani are not nurturing SMART-COWS which has the ability to know that a small farm might be hidden in the midst of a forest.

If cows can't recognise small farms isn't that the work of the cattle rearers? By your answer we can safely assume cows are smarter than their owners.

Standing5:
If cows can't recognise small farms isn't that the work of the cattle rearers? By your answer we can safely assume cows are smarter than their owners.

What you have failed to do is to understand and see through the eyes of the fulani boy.

Fulanis are been killed too with their cows stolen at will.Both the fulanis herdsmen and farmers deserves justice to which the government has responded with the grazing bill.

Almajiri1:

What you have failed to do is to understand and see through the eyes of the fulani boy.

Fulanis are been killed too with their cows stolen at will.Both the fulanis herdsmen and farmers deserves justice to which the government has responded with the grazing bill.

killed and robbed by who exactly? The farmers? If farmers are provide grazing corridor, who provides grazing corridor for poultry farmer? Maybe they need to start grazing their chicken on millet plantation too.