Terror groups, bandits, cause of farmer/herders clashes — Reps
The House of Representatives yesterday lamented that farmers/herders clashes, which were hitherto seen as a regional or a confined conflict, have taken a new dimension as they has expanded and grown into a wider conflict beyond the borders of many West African countries, caused by terror groups, bandits and international criminal organizations.
The Speaker, Abbas Tajuddeen, stated this in his opening address at the stakeholders interactive session organised by the House Ad-hoc Committee on the recurring clashes between farmers and herders.
According to him, the clashes have resulted in avoidable loss of lives and property, with an estimated 60,000 people killed since 2001.
Represented by his deputy, Benjamin Kalu, the Speaker said it was because of its implications for the collective good of the nation that the House resolved to take a critical look at the causes, nature, dimensions, actors, impact, and possible solution to the nagging national challenge.
“These conflicts have escalated in recent years and it is quite consequential to our national security. What is even more concerning is the appropriation of these conflicts by terror groups, bandits and international criminal organizations.
“This has had severe consequences, including the restriction of farmers from access to their farmlands, leading to food price inflation, a high cost of living, unemployment, and loss of foreign earnings that would have accrued through the agricultural sector.”
On his part, the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who represented by Professor Abdullahi Mohammed Ya’u, lamented that farmers/herders conflict had taken more lives than most of the crises seen in the country, regretting that the problem was still ongoing, affecting the nation’s collective socio-economic interests.
He said,the NSA office had expanded it’s focus to tackle the security issues involved by addressing the issue through dialogue, community engagements, in collaboration with all relevant authorities.
Earlier in his remarks, chairman of the committee, Bappa Aliyu Misau, said the issues faced by farmers and herders had reached a critical juncture, demanding immediate attention and collaborative efforts to find sustainable solution.
He said: “To address the root cause of these problems, we need a multi-faced approach that integrates the effort of governments, private sector, civil society organizations.
“We must also explore investments in agricultural infrastructure such as adequate investment in irrigation systems, storage facilities, rural road network etc, conflict resolution and land management, continued investment in agricultural research and development, enhancing skills and knowledge of farmers and herders”.
Source » vanguardngr.com
