usba:
Wailing zombies are cursed do nothing they complain do something they ask why are doing it..

There is this tendency to see nomadic Fulani herders as the primary perpetrators of rural banditry, including cattle rustling. The fact that Fulani nomads are familiar with the forest tracts tends to reinforce that perception.

There are documented instances of pastoralists who resort to rustling after losing cattle to disease, inclement weather, and violence; there also are Fulani nomads active in the international syndicate of cattle rustlers. Fulani herdsmen, however, are also victims of the illicit transactions (IRIN, 2013).

There were reported cases of cow population depletion around the Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State, an area that reportedly experienced cattle theft by criminal gangs. It is believed that the cows lost include some lost by Fulani nomads, as part of the incessant resource conflict with settled farmers and/or fellow Fulani rustlers.

Furthermore, cattle rustling and rural banditry, appear to be tied to the incessant conflict between Fulani herdsmen and crop farmers. The conflict may be connected to the wider context of identity, politics and intergroup relations, including the relationships between pastoralist groups on the one hand, and the Nigerian state system on the other.

Transhumant pastoralists are perceived as violent and deliberately armed to deal with unsuspecting crop farmers; the farmers allege intentional crop damage by animals. The herders, on the other hand, perceive themselves to be victims of political marginalization, lacking a voice within the Nigerian state system.

The exclusion of nomadic Fulani herders from the policy process and their lack of voice is so acute, that the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBA), an urban-based Fulani pressure group, stands as the only known civic group that engages in policy advocacy on their behalf. ' In more recent times, there has been a dramatic increase in the spates of conflict between herders and farming communities, alongside the attendant problems of rural banditry and cattle rustling.

Media reports of cattle rustling suggest that victims include large scale, commercial livestock farmers and nomadic pastoralists who graze their cattle across the country. It has been reported that in 2013, gunmen armed with automatic weapons attacked the commercial farms of Vice-President Namadi Sambo, along Birnin Gwari road in Kaduna, and also the commercial farms of the Emir of Zaria, Alhaji Shehu Idris, in Zaria — taking over 1,000 cows in the former case and 200 in the latter.

High-profile cases of cattle robbery of this nature are commonplace, involving millions of naira (Weekly Trust, May 16, 2015). The powerful effects threaten the very survival of pastoralists. The growing menace of cattle rustling by armed gangs and bandits appears to differ in terms of scale and economic consequences in 'ungoverned' spaces, and territories between Kaduna, Katsina and Zamfara States. These armed gangs and bandits routinely raid cattle owned by traditional pastoralists. New criminal gangs, armed with sophisticated weapons, have reportedly carted away cattle in commando-like operations that have resulted in the killings of herders.

Available evidence also suggests that cattle rustling has not only metamorphosed into an immensely sophisticated and efficient organized crime, it is now also motivated by both 'subsistence' and 'commercial' imperatives.

With specific reference to the Birnin Gwari area of Kaduna State where cattle rustling and related criminal activities have been concentrated, Tukur says, "Almost all the entire herds around that area have been stolen. In fact that belt – the belt from Birnin Gwari, through Funtua, Faskari, parts of Zamfara going to Anchau – that is like a no man's land, for cattle rustlers and bandits. Every cow there has been stolen, including cows belonging to general and top civil servants; talk less of small herdsmen whose names you don't hear..." (Tukur, June 11, 2013).

http://www.nsrp-nigeria.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Rural-Banditry-Report.pdf

The complex reality on the ground, is that both pastoralists and farmers, have been victims of the banditry attacks. The attacks are characterized mainly by the use of overwhelming force, as dozens or even hundreds of attackers are involved in an operation. It is this use of overwhelming force that pushes people to flee their villages and settlements. In addition to sheer numbers, attackers tend to be highly organized. Both pastoralists and farmers confirmed that the attackers set up camps, which they use as planning and staging grounds before attacking communities.

A participant in Goe'es village shared his knowledge of the bandits:
"The attackers are usually said to be very organized, sometimes numbering up to 100. There is a story that was told, saying that the rustlers have their chief. At a particular time, the rustlers came to steal the fattened cattle of a Fulani man, and when the Fulani man went to plead with the chief of rustlers, he got some of the cattle back (FGD, November 22, 2014)."

In this case, the gang of attackers appeared to be very similar to other gangs in organized crime which are involved in smuggling, trafficking, and racketeering. If the attackers are in fact organized enough to establish camps as staging grounds, they certainly must have a means of gathering intelligence.

" The attackers come mostly on foot, but sometimes they come in cars and motorcycles. It also seems that the attackers may be supported by helicopters, as sometimes we see helicopters take off and land around the heavily forested areas where the attackers are hiding. (FGD, November 22, 2014)."

Respondents were asked whether indigenes, armed robbers, or Fulani herders were responsible for cattle theft; 50% identified indigenes as the culpable parties. The remainder was evenly split, with 25% identifying criminal gangs and 25% identifying Fulani herdsmen as the perpetrators. The evidence suggests that cattle rustling is a major rural crime, and is sustained by a carefully networked gang of armed rustlers, which operates under the control of gang leaders.

http://www.nsrp-nigeria.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Rural-Banditry-Report.pdf