HERDSMEN BRUTALITY – A THREAT TO LIFE AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA (A CASE STUDY OF BURUKU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Benue State, widely referred to as the 'food basket of the nation' on account of its extensive agricultural output, has in recent years become one of the epicentres of a violent and protracted conflict between nomadic Fulani herdsmen and local farming communities across Nigeria's Middle Belt. What began as sporadic, largely localized disputes over grazing routes and farmland has, over the past decade, escalated into recurring episodes of brutality involving the killing of farmers, the destruction of crops and property, and the mass displacement of rural populations, with Buruku Local Government Area, like many other agrarian local government areas in Benue State, bearing a significant share of this violence (Ogbe & Ogali, 2022).

A growing body of recent scholarship has sought to unpack both the causes and consequences of this crisis. Egbewole (2025), examining community-based mechanisms for resolving farmers-herders conflict in Benue State, identified overgrazing and the resulting land degradation as a significant remote cause of the conflict, compounded by poor education and orientation among both herders and farmers, factors that have allowed disputes over shrinking grazing land to repeatedly escalate into violence. Ogbe and Ogali (2022), examining the effect of the conflict on agricultural development in Benue State between 2010 and 2022, found that the persistent clashes have posed a major obstacle to the state's agricultural policies and programmes, undermining efforts to grow the state's largely agriculture-dependent economy.

The consequences of this violence extend well beyond the immediate loss of life to threaten the broader economic and food security foundations of the state and, by extension, the nation. Mbadiwe and Atese (2025), employing a political ecology framework to examine the conflict's effect on food crop production in Benue State, found that the clashes have led to reduced agricultural yields, the displacement of farmers from their land, and a growing threat to food security, given Benue's central role in national food production. Ovaga, Obinna, Ogu and Ezenwa (2023), examining the broader impact of Fulani herdsmen activities on agricultural communities across Nigeria, similarly found that the disruption of farming activities in affected communities has had measurable knock-on effects for local and national food supply. It is against this background that the present study examines herdsmen brutality as a threat to life and socio-economic development in Nigeria, with specific reference to Buruku Local Government Area of Benue State, analysing both the underlying causes of the crisis and its effect on economic development and food security in the country.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Despite growing scholarly and policy attention to the Fulani herdsmen and farmers crisis, the violence associated with it continues largely unabated in many parts of Benue State, including Buruku Local Government Area, where recurring attacks have claimed lives, destroyed farmland and displaced entire communities. This persistent brutality poses a direct threat not only to the lives of those caught up in it but also to the broader socio-economic development of the affected areas, undermining agricultural productivity, discouraging investment, and, as recent evidence suggests, threatening the food security of a state that plays a central role in feeding the nation (Mbadiwe & Atese, 2025). While existing studies have examined various dimensions of the crisis across Benue State generally, there remains a need for evidence specific to Buruku Local Government Area that connects the underlying causes of the crisis to its measurable effects on economic development and food security, in order to inform more targeted interventions. It is this gap that the present study seeks to address.

1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of this study is to examine herdsmen brutality: a threat to life and socio-economic development in Nigeria. The overall purpose of the study is to analyze the effect of the Fulani herdsmen crisis on food security in the country. Specifically, the objectives of the study include to:

• Assess the causes of the Fulani herdsmen and farmers crisis in the middle belt.

• Evaluate the effect of the Fulani herdsmen and farmers crisis on economic development in Nigeria.

• Analyze the effect of the Fulani herdsmen and farmers crisis on food security in Nigeria.

1.4 Research Questions

This study seeks to provide answers to the following research questions:

• What are the causes of the Fulani herdsmen and farmers crisis in the middle belt?

• What is the effect of the Fulani herdsmen and farmers crisis on economic development in Nigeria?

• What is the effect of the Fulani herdsmen and farmers crisis on food security in Nigeria?

1.5 Significance of the Study

This study is significant to policymakers and security agencies responsible for managing the farmer-herder crisis, as its findings will provide an evidence-based understanding of the specific causes driving the conflict in Buruku Local Government Area, insight that can inform more targeted conflict-resolution and peacebuilding interventions. To agricultural planners and food security agencies, the study offers evidence on how the crisis affects both economic development and food security, insight that can shape policies aimed at protecting farming communities and stabilizing food supply.

For the academic community, the study extends the growing body of literature on the farmer-herder crisis in Benue State, including the work of Mbadiwe and Atese (2025), Egbewole (2025), Ogbe and Ogali (2022) and Ovaga et al. (2023), into the specific context of Buruku Local Government Area. Finally, the study will serve as a useful reference for future researchers, students and humanitarian organizations interested in the causes and consequences of farmer-herder violence in Nigeria's Middle Belt.

1.6 Scope of the Study

This study is focused on Buruku Local Government Area of Benue State and examines the Fulani herdsmen and farmers crisis as it affects this specific area. The scope covers an assessment of the causes of the crisis in the wider middle belt context, as well as its effect on economic development and food security in Nigeria. The study draws on the experiences of residents, farmers and other stakeholders within Buruku Local Government Area, and does not extend to a comprehensive comparative analysis of the crisis across all affected states in Nigeria.

1.7 Limitations of the Study

This study is subject to a number of limitations common to research conducted in conflict-affected settings. Ongoing security concerns in parts of Buruku Local Government Area may limit access to certain communities or respondents, potentially affecting the breadth of data that can be gathered. Because the crisis is a sensitive and, for many respondents, deeply traumatic subject, some individuals may be reluctant to fully disclose their experiences, which may affect the completeness of the data collected. Time and resource constraints associated with the research further limited the scope of investigation that could be undertaken. Notwithstanding these limitations, the study was designed to yield as reliable and representative a picture as possible within the given constraints.

1.8 Definition of Terms

Herdsmen Brutality: Acts of violence, including killing, maiming and the destruction of property, perpetrated by nomadic herders against farming communities or others, typically in the context of disputes over land and grazing resources.

Socio-Economic Development: The process of improvement in the economic wellbeing and social conditions of a population, encompassing factors such as income, employment, infrastructure and quality of life.

Food Security: A state in which all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs for an active and healthy life.

Middle Belt: A geographical and cultural region of central Nigeria, encompassing Benue State and neighbouring states, characterized by its predominantly agrarian economy and its position as a transitional zone between the country's north and south.

Farmer-Herder Conflict: Violent or non-violent disputes arising between settled crop farmers and nomadic or semi-nomadic livestock herders, typically over access to land, water and grazing resources.

Economic Development: The process by which a nation, region or community improves the economic wellbeing and quality of life of its population, often measured through indicators such as output, income and employment.

REFERENCES

Egbewole, I. K. (2025). Community based mechanisms and farmers/herders conflict in Benue State, Nigeria. International Journal of Governance and Development Studies, 12(1), 64–82.

Mbadiwe, J., & Atese, M. O. (2025). Navigating the challenges of farmer-herder conflict for sustainable food production in Benue State, Nigeria. Social Science and Humanities Journal, 9(2), 6800–6808. https://doi.org/10.18535/sshj.v9i02.1660

Ogbe, J. E., & Ogali, M. D. (2022). Farmers-herders' conflict and agricultural development in Benue State. International Journal of Public Policy and Administration Studies, 6(7), 189–197.

Ovaga, S. E., Obinna, O. C., Ogu, E., & Ezenwa, C. (2023). The impact of Fulani herdsmen activities on agricultural communities in Nigeria. Journal of Agricultural and Food Economics, 10(1), 1–12.