Herder-farmer Clashes Claimed 60,000 Lives In 22 Years, Say Reps
Sixty thousand lives have been lost to herder-farmer clashes since 2001, the House of Representatives disclosed Monday.
Speaker Abbas Tajudeen made the disclosure in his opening address at the stakeholders’ interactive session by the House Ad hoc Committee on the ‘Recurring Annual Clashes Between Farmers and Herders in Yamaltu/Deba Local Government Area Of Gombe State and Neighbouring Local Government Areas, Including Other Regions of the Country with Similar Incidents’ in Abuja.
Represented by his deputy, Benjamin Kalu, the Speaker said the lower legislative chamber is reviewing the causes, nature, dimensions, actors, impact, and finding solutions to the nagging national challenge for the collective good of the nation.
“The clashes have resulted in avoidable losses of lives and property. It is estimated that over 60,000 people have been killed since 2001. It ought not to be so.
“The number of deaths, injuries and kidnapped persons constitutes an alarming situation, and poses a serious national security challenge for Nigeria’s quest to attain food security and alternative foreign earnings from the agricultural sector. This menace requires urgent action to be taken,” he stated.
On his part, National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, represented by Prof. Abdullahi Mohammed Ya’u, deplored the carnage, adding that the crisis was affecting the nation’s collective socio-economic interests.
He said his office had embraced dialogue, community engagements and collaborations with relevant authorities in addressing insecurity.
Also, Kulen Allah Cattle Rearers Association of Nigeria (KACRAN), in a presentation by its national president, Khalil Mohammed Bello, said failure by the states and Federal Government to take sustainable actions contributed hugely to escalation of the conflict.
Earlier, the panel chairman, Bappa Aliyu Misau, charged all on sustainable solutions.
