The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps says at least 100 cases of farmer-herder clashes occur every month in Oyo state. The command spokesman, Samuel Opebiyi, disclosed this during an interview on Friday in Ibadan.
Mr Opebiyi said some causes of the clashes included grazing on farmland and cattle poisoning.
He said the agro-rangers, an arm of the NSCDC, have recorded many successes in preventing clashes from escalating into serious security matters.
“Some of these issues have been resolved amicably through the adoption of Alternative Dispute Resolution for peaceful coexistence. You know the government’s objective in agriculture, to ensure food security, cannot be achieved without peace between farmers and herders.
“So, we make sure we have an environment in which farmers and herders can co-exist with their farming activities and cattle rearing,” he said.
Mr Opebiyi said that each region of the state has its peculiar security challenges, adding that clashes usually occur in the Oluyole, Oke-Ogun, and Ibarapa axes of the state.
The command spokesman admitted that the NSCDC’s agro-rangers could not spread to some communities as expected due to inadequate manpower.
“We are seriously working in that regard to strengthen them in the future in order to adequately address the issue of farmers-herders clashes in the state,” he said.
(NAN)
