Pastoralism, Neo-Pastoralism and Farmers Conflict in Nigeria: The Imperative of Law

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to address the question of Pastoralism, Neo-pastoralism and the role of law in Nigeria. It is an undeniable fact that, the Nigerian state, particularly the northern part of the country is witnessing a surge in disagreement and ruthless violence between farmers and pastoralist groups. The paper argues that these premeditated conflicts have largely been attributed to the increased use of advanced and sophisticated weapons by several farmers and pastoralist groups. And these conflicts are escalating due to the combined effect of several factors: growing Insecurity, an increase in livestock numbers; which are leading to heightened competition over natural resources, climate change; which is pushing pastoralists further south, and the expansion of cultivation by farmers. We attempt to investigate how pastoralism is practically giving way to neo-pastoralism; a corrupted, advanced, and weaponized form of pastoralism which involves larger herds and increased use of arms. As it were, the Northern Nigeria is largely used as a case study to explore these new dynamics of conflicts resulting from this growing phenomenon. To fulfill this requirement, the trajectory of this paper is in two fronts: the first exposes the possibilities of neo-pastoralism as the premise for the aggravated increase in armed clashes between these groups. The second front reflects on the imperative of law with the intent of elevating the culture of tolerance that makes for the peaceful coexistence that is needed between the pastoralists and farmers in contemporary Nigeria