Herdsmen militancy and humanitarian crisis in Nigeria: A theoretical briefing |
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Authors: | Al Chukwuma Okoli Cornelius O Ogayi |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Political Science, Federal University Lafia, Lafia, Nigeria;2. Department of Political Science, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria |
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Abstract: | This article explores the phenomenon of herdsmen militancy as a new trajectory for the farmer–herder crisis in Nigeria, with reference to its humanitarian implications. Relying on a systematic analysis of secondary data and aligning with the analytical anchorage of liberal political ecology theory, the article posits that herdsmen militancy depicts a contradiction in agrarian relations in the context of a national security crisis which has been complicated by salient socio-ecological factors such as climate change, armed violence, and identity politics. In view of the dire humanitarian consequences of this situation, the article submits that herdsmen militancy constitutes a major threat to human and national security in Nigeria. It makes a case for a pragmatic policy capable of mitigating the myriad socio-ecological factors that tend to trigger herdsmen militancy, with prohibition on open grazing in critical hotbeds of herder–farmer conflict as a strategic measure. |
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Keywords: | herdsmen herdsmen militancy humanitarian crisis national security political ecology |
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