EVALUATION OF THE FARMER - PASTORALIST CONFLICTS IN NIGERIA: STUDY OF DANSADAU, SABUWA AND BIRNINN GWARI COMMUNITIES OF ZAMFARA, KATSINA AND KADUNA STATES
Produced by the Centre for Democratic Development Research & Training, Zaria (CEDDERT)
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Over the last three decades conflicts between pastoralists and peasant farming communities in Nigeria have increased dramatically. As a result, thousands of people have been killed or displaced, and properties worth billions of naira have been destroyed. Equally, billions of naira worth of crops and livestock have been lost due to the conflicts. The sheer intensity of these conflicts has consequently threatened the livelihoods and very survival of the communities involved. Even though the reality of these conflicts is not in doubt, and available information about them- as reported by the media (print and electronic) paints a depressing picture and points to a future of chaos, social disarray and political instability, much of this information about them is inaccurate, one-sided, deliberately misleading or does not give an accurate account of their genesis, causes, nature and patterns. The conflict between these two groups is primarily about: resource use, damage to crops, blocking of trans-human corridors (Burtali, farming along the valleys and stream/river banks and uncomplimentary agricultural policies by government. Of recent however, cattle rustling, availability of dangerous weapons, intra-pastoralist conflicts, mercenary elements and illicit drugs have added a dangerous dimension to the conflict. Thus, since the 1980s, the frequency of violent clashes has increased, and lately, the widespread availability of modern weapons and improved communications have further led to the exacerbating of the conflicts.
1.1 Statement of Research Problem
This study is therefore an attempt to examine the contribution of the above factors to the pastoralists – farmers’ conflict in Dansadau, Sabuwa and Birnin Gwari.
1.2 Research Questions:
1. To what extent has the drying up of the natural sources of water over the past 50 years in the Sahelian belt, i.e the shrinking of Lake Chad by over 90 percent, forced pastoralists to move into the savannah and tropical rain forest zones in search of water and pasture for their animals?
2. How has the failure of policy implementation with regards to grazing reserves, i.e designated reserves been appropriated by politicians and senior civil servants, created a dearth of land for pasture and grazing?
3. To what extent has the inaction or indifference by governments at all levels led sedentary farmers and pastoralists in the affected communities resort to vigilantism and violence?
1.3 Research Objectives:
1. To examine how the drying up of the natural sources of water over the past 50 years in the Sahelian belt, has forced pastoralists to move into the savannah and tropical rain forest zones in search of water and pasture for their animals.
2. To ascertain the extent to which the failure of policy implementation with regards to grazing reserves, has created a dearth of land for pasture and grazing.
3. To highlight how the inaction or indifference by governments at all levels has resulted in both sedentary farmers and pastoralists in the affected communities resorting to vigilantism and violence in the communities.
1.4 Research Assumptions:
1. The drying up of the natural sources of water over the past 50 years in the Sahelian belt, has forced pastoralists to move into the savannah and tropical rain forest zones in search of water and pasture for their animals.
2. The failure of policy implementation with regards to grazing reserves, has created a dearth of land for pasture and grazing.
3. The inaction or indifference of the federal government over the issue in the affected communities has led to resort to vigilantism and violence.
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW
A number of researches have been conducted on conflicts in this part of the country on farmer /pastoralist. The evolution of human settlements and inter-group relations in these areas shows that as early as the 15th century, the pastoral groups had already assumed an important place in the social and economic life of the area. Most studies reduced the issues at stake to farmer/pastoralist conflict or ethicize the conflict as basically a Hausa - Fulani clash. More specifically, previous attempts fail to examine the issues from a historical context that built and produce practices as cattle rustling, banditry and kidnapping. It is for this reason that CEDDERT, with the support of Enable2 conducted a pilot survey focusing on Dansadau-Sabuwa-Birnin Gwari Community of Zamfara, Katsina and Kaduna States, located within the Kuyanbana Forest. Three issues appeared more glaring in the conflicts in these areas with one succeeding the other over time.
2.1 Cattle Rustling
It started with Cattle rustling, which is the criminal activity the bandits prioritize next to armed robbery. Although the ease with which they are able to move cattle around suggests to the local inhabitants that they are most likely Fulbe, they do not discriminate when it comes to rustling. They seize all sorts of animals-cattle, sheep, goats- any time of the day and from anybody, irrespective of whether you are non-Fulbe or Fulbe. What keeps the rustling machine oiled is the availability of ready and willing buyers living in towns and cities, who are in league with the rustlers.
2.2 Banditry
Efforts by the respective State Governments to checkmate cattle rustling led the Cattle rustlers transforming into merciless bandit of killers and kidnappers. The new strategy adopted was kidnapping for ransom. The bandits attack communities and request for money or any valuables. If they do not get enough they will abduct one of the elders and request for an amount as ransom. By this the community or family would have no option but to dispose of the cattle themselves and settle the ransom to get their elder back. Indeed if the bandits discovered that the community did not have much wealth they rape the womenfolk.
In the past the nature of the relations between the people and communities were not as violent as in the present, nor were sophisticated weapons used as in the present. Of interesting to also note is the expertise in the handling of modern arms (AK47) by the bandits. The state of political developments in the region, especially the fall of Muamar Qaddafi’s regime, created the mass movement of arms across borders. The porous nature of Nigerian borders, especially the Nigeria/Niger borders, in addition to the cultural link between the communities across the border, support the claim that the influx could be from that direction. This is further supported by the long history of pastoral movement in the region in search of pasture caused by the increasing deterioration of the environment.
2.3 Kidnapping
Kidnapping is another form of armed extortion by the bandits. Usually, when the armed groups kidnap a person, they would demand for a specific amount of money as ransom from the family and relatives of the victim. If the family complies, the victim is released; if it fails, the victim may not only be killed, and other members of the family could also be attacked and killed. The growing impudence of the kidnappers, on one hand, and the apparent failure of the state to curtail their activities, on the other, have contributed to create such an atmosphere of fear and despondency in the minds of the locals that they simply, quietly and silently comply with the instructions given by the kidnappers. The case of one Bello of Dungun Mu’azu village is a good illustration. The bandits who kidnapped him instructed that ransom be taken to one Fulbe man in a village in the Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
However, after Bello’s release, security agents asked him to confirm the payment made and to whom it was made, he declined to testify for fear of victimization. His contention was that the security agents could not guarantee his safety. It was also not clear whether the resident Fulbe man who was asked to collect the ransom did so willingly or under threat of violence.
2.4 Rapping
The women folk are the major casualty of the attack; they are raped, killed or widowed. The most disturbing humiliation was when they suffered sexual assault before their children and husbands, under threat of armed gunmen, and in the open.
3.0 METHODOLOGY
3.1 Approach
The study adopted a survey research perspective which used a mixed-method tool of data collection. The instruments of data collection used included, interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) with key stakeholders in the conflict and secondary data were sourced from various reports and publications. The data collected was analysed using thematic discussion of qualitative information gathered and an analytical presentation of quantitative collected from field on a state by state basis.
3.2 Population and Sample
The target population of the study include key stakeholders of farmers versus pastoralists’ conflicts around the 3 areas of the study during the study period. Specifically, the population of the study is constituted by persons who are victims, partakers, local authorities, law enforcement agents and witnesses to the conflict within Birnin Gwari, Dansa Dau and Sabuwa communities in Kaduna, Zamfara and Katsina States respectively.
The interviewees and FGD participants were selected based on their involvement in the conflict as members of the one of the above mentioned groups. The determine persons who were included, an initial scoping exercise was conducted on (insert dates) with both traditional rulers and community leaders of the various communities during which a conflict stakeholder mapping was done sample constituents identified (see list below).
SN Group Location Number Perceived Strength
1 Victims
2 Traditional Rulers
3 Law Enforcement
4 Perpetrators
5 Witnesses
6 Local Authorities
3.3 Method of Data Collection
The instruments of data collection used included, interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) with key stakeholders in the conflict and secondary data were sourced from various reports and publications.
3.4 Method of Data Analysis
The data collected were presented using various tools which includes charts, tables and graphs.
The data was analysed using thematic discussion of qualitative information gathered from the three communities with the view to establish differences, similarities and patterns of the conflicts that illuminates the key findings of the research. Additionally, state by state descriptive presentations of quantitative information collected were also done.