Perceptions and Implications of Herdsmen and Farmer's Bloody Clashes on Sustainability and Economic Growth in Nigeria: Investigative Journalism Approach

: This study examined the perceptions and implications of herdsmen and farmers bloody clashes on sustainability and economic growth in Nigeria; investigative journalism approach. The study employed a cross-sectional survey and qualitative research design in which 1000persons were interviewed to seek their perceptions on the effects of the feud. It was revealed that no party is happy with the irreparable consequences that ensued from the clash. It was shown that the herdsmen were misguided on the grazing routes which the Federal government insists on reviving or re-enacting when such routes or policy cannot be operational due to increasing human population, mechanized/commercial agricultural activities in modern days. The clash was also induced by born to rule ego, religious inclinations and mutual distrust. It does implies that persisting violence is a precursor to hunger/malnutrition, high cost of living, economic recession, civil war and disintegration of a volatile country. The crisis is persisting due to the lackadaisical/double standards attitude of government towards resolving the impasse on time. It has been seen that open grazing cannot continue in modern Nigeria. It has to be stopped for the implementation of ranching programmes. Government should intensify laws against criminality/ cattle rustlers and disarm both farmers-herdsmen of the arms they are parading everywhere. The constitutional role of government is to ensure that the rule of law prevails equally over all citizens in whatever trade, religion/ethnic background. There should be intensive media sensitisation on inter- ethnic and inter-religious tolerance and harmony in the country.


I. Introduction
Human life is sacred and too sacrosanct to be abruptly terminated by man. No person has right to take another's life under any guise since natural and positive laws vehemently bemoan any murderous act. Euthanasia may only be contemplated under special or severe circumstances (section 33, right to life, Nigerian 1999 Constitution, as amended). That means, God and governments across the world condemn sacrilegious act and whoever is found culpable of murder attracts capital punishment. It is imperative to say that the wanton killings of innocent Nigerians and destruction of farmlands, villages and unwarranted displacement of persons to several IDP camps scattered across the country are causes for concern.
According to Basil (2015), crisis is inevitable in every human society, however, measures should be taken to restore sanity, peace and order before it degenerates to full scale violence or bloodletting. The lingering war between Russia and Ukraine has started showing negative impact on global economy. Nigerians are experiencing unprecedented catastrophes via the destruction of lives, farmlands and properties for about ten years. Alao et al., (2019) affirmed that over 2000 persons were killed and more than 170,000 people displaced from their homes and villages across the country. Several reasons have been adduced for herdsmen and cattle migration to Southern Nigeria which includes draught in the Sahel leading to serious desertification. There are arguments that the violence/bloodletting may have been caused by herdsmen movement from far Sahel Savannah across the middle belt towards Southern part of the country and the purported annexation of farmlands to deprive the Aborigines of such natural heritage.
In NBS (2020 as cited in Obasanmi & Enoma, 2022), agricultural export in Nigeria declined from 60% of GDP in the early 70s to about 28.9% in the first quarter of 2020. Nigeria in the first and Second Republic before the oil boom discovered in 1967 at Oloibiri in Bayelsa State (then Old Rivers State) was sustained by foreign exchange earnings from exporting agricultural produce, cocoa from South West/Midwestern regions, groundnuts pyramids in the northern region and palm oil from Eastern Nigeria. Therefore, Nigeria can be classified as an agrarian State which cannot survival without farm produce like cash and food crops and animal husbandry (cattle, sheep, goats). But cattle rearers are turning the entire farmlands belonging to farmers to grazing fields for cattle and sacking them to suffer hunger, malnutrition, deprivation and abject penury. The bony contention is that herdsmen are looking for survival measures for their cattle and trade at the expense of farmer's farmlands while farmers want to protect their farms being the only means to eke out a living. Therefore, there must be a clash.
Some persons are arguing that there is freedom of movement for the herdsmen and their cattle. We agree that there is freedom of movement for all Nigerians and foreigners doing legitimate business, but there is no freedom of movement for animals that may cause harm to the human person and other forms of nuisance in the society. Section 41 subsection 1 provides that, " every citizen (not animals; emphasis ours) of Nigeria is entitled to move freely throughout Nigeria and no citizen (not animals; emphasis ours) of Nigeria shall be expelled from Nigeria or refused entry thereto or exit therefrom" (Nigerian Constitution, 1999). We are therefore tempted to ask, does the freedom of movement grants one the latitude to kill and destroy people's farm crops? We disagree with such interpretation given by the advocate of impunity, lawlessness and chaos.
The conflict between herdsmen and farmers may degenerate into another civil war since killing of persons remains unabated, incessant kidnapping of innocent and vulnerable citizens, cattle rustling, destruction of villages across several States in Nigeria, Plateau, Benue, Edo, Delta, kogi, Ebonyi, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun etc. Beetseh (2018) has contend that the clash between herdsmen and farmers created public fear (fear of imminent danger pervades the air) in people's minds. The pervasive insecurity problem seems to be unabated despite the measures taken by the Federal government to arrest it. In Beetseh (2018), it was pointed out that, President Buhari has not acted decisively towards quelling this monstrous invasion against farmers in their farmlands and homes. Enoma (2015) had argued that the fundamental issue that is prolonging the ongoing crisis between farmers-herders is government's reluctance to invest in long term productive activities. State governments have constituted some indigenous security measures (community vigilante) to curtail the dastard activities of these herdsmen, banditry and Boko Haram. Ordinarily, economic growth is a function of several factors which includes, food security or massive food production, affordable/reasonable price mechanism, security of lives and properties or secured environment and others but during wars, civil unrest, violence and bloodletting these economic indices or variables for growth tend to present negative coefficients of the aforementioned indices indicating economic downturn. Therefore, we expect that herdsmen and farmers clashes in Nigeria will slow down food production (-fp), increase prices of foodstuffs (-pfs), high cost of living (+hcl), cause insecurity of lives and properties (-slp) culmulating into a negative or declining economic growth projections/ trajectory (dy).
Therefore, normal multiple regression model is; Where, Y is economic growth and X1-Xn are economic variabies and the modified model will be, Where; DY is declining economic growth a is the constant term B1-B4 are coefficients et is the error term due to stochastic disturbances However, this study does not intend to pursue quantitative analysis. Studies reviewed were restricted to identified States, such as Kogi, Plateau, Taraba and Benue and mostly secondary data were used for their analyses. Therefore, the broad effect of herdsmen and farmers conflict on four major areas (food production, prices of foodstuffs, cost of living and security) in the country and the application of primary data to be generated from respondents represent the gap to be filled in the study. Another vacuum to cover is to ascertain whether the activities of herdsmen are variants of terrorism. Hence, the need to examine the perceptions and implications of herdsmen and farmer's bloody clashes on sustainability (food production, price of foodstuffs cost of living, security of lives and properties) in Nigeria; investigative journalism approach. The objective of the study is to ascertain how people perceive the implications of herdsmen and farmer's incessant violence on the four identified economic variables. On this basis, ten research questions were examined using oral interview method and qualitative analysis. It is our hope that the outcomes of the study would benefit policy makers.

II. Review of Literature
This section is divided into three sub-topics, conceptual, empirical and theoretical reviews.

Conceptual Review a. Implications of Herdsmen and Farmers Bloody Clash
We shall discuss the implications of herdsmen and farmer's bloody clashes on the Nigerian polity in four major perspectives such as economic, social, religious, and political implications perspectives.
The seeming in-balance in knowledge, technologies and resources across developed or developing nations is a natural platform improved upon to enhance commerce and trade, chart the course for positive and higher innovations and motivations to strive for a better standard of life. We consider the struggle for grazing lands and bloody clash between herdsmen and farmers as height of primitivism since nomadic cattle rearing is becoming obsolete and not fashionable due to several factors; modernity and others. There are better methods for rearing cattle in modern times. With the establishment of good governance structure, security and stability will engender peace, unity and progress of any nation. It is imperative to put forward that every nuance of "born to rule" cannot foster peace and unity in a plural and secular society like Nigeria with over 250 ethnic groups (Hausa-Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%, Igbo 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5% of the 120 million population and over 500 languages) (CIFORB Country Profile Nigeria). It may only foster agitations for disintegration (the 1967-1970 Civil War, and agitations by Niger Delta Militants seeking for the Republic of Niger Delta, Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, Oduduwa Republic etc) (Edih et al., 2022;Edih, 2020).
The issue of security is multi-dimensional. It transcends beyond physical security through military wares to food security and human capital development. United Nations Development, UNDP, NHDR (2018) defines security to mean economic development, social justice, protection of the environment, political democracy, good governance, disarmament and respect for human rights. Accordingly, human life is meaningless and useless where the government cannot provide security (Edih, et al., 2022).

b. Investigative Journalism
Journalism is the profession of news reportage notably known as the fourth estate in governance while investigative journalism is an aspect of journalism which focuses on investigating and verifying critical issues affecting societal development. Every society is bound to be confronted with diverse challenges, either positive or negative and resolving such issues demands proper and methodological investigation towards unraveling the remote and present causes and and putting a stop to the retrogressive criminal activities and tendencies in the society. The positive challenges are progressive and desirable for growth while the negative issues are the criminal elements though inevitable but could be contained through measures like constant orientation through periodic symposium and mass media campaign. The conflict between the herdsmen and farmers is a variant of the daunting retrogressive issues bedeviling man and society.

c. Timeline for Herdsmen and Farmers Bloody Clash
According to a working document titled "Fulani Military Terror Compilation of News (2017 -2020)", authored by Jose Luis Bagan, revealed blood curdling statistics of vicious attacks, deaths and kidnappings by the herdsmen. The report had it that, between 2017 and 2020, Fulani herdsmen conducted 654 attacks where 2539 persons were killed and 253 people were victims of kidnappers in Nigeria (www.thisdaylive.com> 2020\06\07). Similarly, in 2018, over 300,000 people fled their homes amounting to large scale displacement and insecurity in Adamawa, Benue, Nassarawa, Plateau and Taraba States. It has been contended that the root cause of conflict lies in climate induced degradation of pasture and increasing violence in northern Nigeria (www.crisis.org). According to the Institute of Economic and Peace, 1229 people were killed in 2014 and 63 in 2013 by the herdsmenfarmers violence. In 2015,100 farmers were also killed in their villages and refugee's camps in Benue, Nigeria (Adetula, 2016).

Empirical Studies
Edward (2022) considered the effect of farmers-herdsmen conflict on security in Plateau State, Nigeria. It adopted eco-violence theory as the framework for the study and quantitative research method to analyse data. The study revealed that herdsmen and farmers feud caused food shortage, increases prices of foodstuffs, disrupted access to purchase goods, destroyed farm produce, livestock and infrastructures. It has also discouraged many people from engaging in farming, displaced farmers, it further reduced the scanty labour force in the agricultural sector and decreased herd's production and dairy products. The conflict has aggravated religious intolerance and restricted movement of persons. It is therefore, recommended that, open grazing must be stopped by law since it is no longer practicable in modern societies (we are not in the mediaeval era). Government is advised to provide ranching method for the herdsmen and their cattle and disarm the herdsmen and farmers who are carrying arms and ammunitions because even the licenced ones have been grossly abused by the licensees. It is suggested that a better platform for stakeholder's dialogue be created for the herdsmen and farmers and the activities of suspected traditional rulers (Obas, Emirs, kings and other officers) be investigated.

Theoretical Framework Structural Functionalism Theory
The study is anchored on structural functionalism theory. It is a sociological tool that explains how society functions and why it needs to function on the basis of socio-economic, socio-cultural, socio-religious, socio-political relationships. Society comprises of institutions, relationships, roles and norms which are designed to work in harmonious relationship towards attaining predetermined purposes.
The natural and human configurations of a society make it a complex entity. There are visible and invisible complex situations in every entity. These complexities are more pronounced in heterogeneous, plural and secular polity likened to Nigeria. In a plural state, there are mixtures of divergent belief systems, ideologies, religious ethos, political philosophies, government structures, cultural affinities inherited from separate ancestral roots. These different colorations and deep-seated attributes in societal make up are intended to converge to establish a harmonious and healthy nation, but experience has shown that such inevitable structural complexities are the causes of conflicts, crises, violence and eventual bloodletting.
Ideally, society is made up of several structural units or components and these components are controlled by men. A society is structured to work as a system because no individual unit can exit by itself. There is the need for interrelationships or interdependence and networking to achieve the desired goals. However, in every society, conflicts are bound to occur. Even in heaven, there was war between the devil and God. According to Basil (2015), conflict is inevitable in every society. So, the violence between herdsmen and farmers should not be unexpected or unthinkable. Currently, Russia and Ukraine are at war because of perceived difference in political ideologies/affinities. But war or violence is not the end. There are also mechanisms put in place by society or government to settle disagreement, violence and outright war. It is advised that, in such periods, available machineries or institutions for resolving disputes, whether national or international disputes should be explored by the warring parties or third party to expedite reconciliation to ensure enduring settlement.

III. Research Methods
The study employed cross sectional research design and data were generated through oral interview. The census sampling technique was used to select the sample size of 1000 persons which comprises herdsmen/butchers, market men women, farmers, civil servants, and community leaders and youths. The interview method was applied because the authors observed that some interviewees or supposed respondents might not understand the written structured questionnaires instrument. This one-on-one interview approach provided the opportunity to simplify the questions in pigin or local dialects to them. In some places, interpreters were contacted to do the translation. To elicit a comprehensive response and/or opinions from the respondents across five strata mentioned above, the research was carried out in five states, Plateau, Benue, Delta, Edo, and Ondo (i.e, 200 persons were interviewed in each State). Considering the numbers of interviewees, 20 research assistants were used (i.e 4 for each State). Data or opinions were interpreted using frequency tables and qualitative analysis.

Results
The data and responses of participants from the oral interview are collated in tables as follows:

Discussion
The study analysed the responses from participants in the oral interview (10 research questions) in seriatim. Government should ban open grazing and provide land for cattle breeders in their states. Others: Government should disarm the armed herdsmen and quell insecurity in the country.
Question 1: Are you happy or satisfied with the lingering crisis between herdsmen and farmers in the country?

Synthesized report:
It was very emphatic from the participant's responses (herdsmen -farmers and others) that they were unhappy and dissatisfied with the irreparable consequences occasioned by the bloody clash involving farmers and herdsmen. Both parties' lost lives, cattle and farms. Table  3 clearly showed that the entire interviewees regretted the negative results from the violence and there is urgent task to stop it for peace, law and order, to permeate the country. The studies of (Alao et al.,2019;Edward, 2022 ;Lawal et al., 2018 ;Akinkuolie, 2018) adumbrated on the economic, social and political implications of the violence ensuing between herdsmen and farmers in Nigeria.
Question 2: Do you think the conflict between herdsmen and farmers affects food crops production in Nigeria?

Synthesized report:
From table 3, it could be inferred that 90% of the participants agreed to the fact that, the violence resulted to the displacement of many farmers from their farms and homes. Based on this, farming activities were disrupted for past decade or more. Therefore, food crops production has been negatively affected. This report is in consonance with the study of Alao et al.,(2019) which posited that over 170000 farmers where chased from their farm settlements and homes. The remaining 10% participants opine that shortage of food crop production may be caused by some other factors such as increasing human population without a corresponding improvement in agricultural activities.
Question 3: Do you agree that the crisis between herdsmen and farmers caused the increase in the prices of foodstuffs in the Nigerian markets?

Synthesized report:
Majority of the interviewees agreed that the crisis led to the hike in agricultural produce in the Nigerian markets because many farmers are no longer working in their farmlands. The shortage of farm produce with increasing demand definitely affected the prices of foodstuffs in the markets and retail stores in the country. This report is in line with the study conducted by Edward (2022) that the conflict led to food shortage and increase in prices of food items. However, the remaining 10% of the participants alluded to other factors, ban on food items imports, and lack of labour force in the agricultural sector due to disenchantment.
Question 4: Do you agree that the incessant clashes between herdsmen and farmers led to the high cost of living in Nigeria?

Synthesized report:
Results from Table 3 showed that 80% of the respondents agreed to the statement that, the incessant violence between herdsmen and farmers added to the increasing cost of living in Nigeria. The crisis resulted to shortage of food crops production and increment in the prices of foodstuffs in the markets with no proportionate rise in wages and salaries of both public and private workers. While, 20% of the participants considered some other factors like, government policies, business environment, global economic dynamics, global epidemics (covid'19, Russia-Ukraine war) and lack of incentives to farmers. According to Alao et al., (2019), the challenge of food insecurity and probably, high cost of living is not only attributable to conflict between herdsmen and farmers. However, Eme et al,. (2017) had earlier revealed that, herdsmen and farmers violence led to high-cost food in Nigeria.
Question 5: Has the conflict between herdsmen and farmers compounded the volatile or insecurity situation in the country?

Synthesized report:
It is evident from the tabulated response that, 90% of the interviewees agreed to the fact that, herdsmen and farmers clashes compounded the spate of killings, banditry, kidnappings, and other forms of criminality across the country. Based on the modus operandi, both the bandits or Boko Haram and herdsmen, are assumed to be serving a single purpose. According to (Babagana et al., 2019), the activities of the so-called Fulani herdsmen are the extension of Boko Haram insurgents. In Oche et al., (2021), the clash between herdsmen and farmers has worsened the insecurity palaver in Nigeria.

Question 6:
Can the activities of the so-called banditry and Boko Haram be linked to that of the herdsmen?

Synthesized report:
Respondents were divided in their opinions. However, 70% of the interviewees asserted that the criminal activities of the banditry or Boko Haram cannot be distinctively separated from the nefarious actions executed by the herdsmen. Both parties are involved in killing people, kidnapping to secure ransom, and sacking villagers from their ancestral homeland. Alao et al., (2019) affirmed that 2000 persons were killed and 170000 people displaced from farm settlements and homes by the herdsmen.
Question 7: Is there any relationship between herdsmen and the Boko Haram insurgents? Synthesized report: Analysis from Table 3 revealed that, there is strong connection between the herdsmen and Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria. It is shown that 80% of respondents supported the argument above while 20% of participants disagreed. However, it crystal clear from studies that the criminal activities of both groups include, killing of innocent persons, kidnapping for huge ransom, and destruction of farms, sacking of farmers and villagers. This may represent the inseparable relationship binding them. May be, it is a religious agenda because Boko Haram insurgents and Fulani herdsmen are from the same Islamic religion.
Question 8: Can you mention the party who is causing the mayhem; the herdsmen, farmers or who?

Synthesized report:
From the table of responses, participants displayed diverse perceptions. It was difficult to say either yes or no, (meaning, herdsmen, or farmers or who). However, 60% of the respondents suggested that it is the migrant herders while 40% accused farmer's intolerance, animosity, and criminal elements perpetrated by cattle rustlers. In Obasanmi and Enoma (2019), factors such climate change, growing population, global terrorism and rural crimes were identified as causes of the violence. Beetseh (2018), also itemized scarcity of grazing land, politics and environmental challenges as root causes to the crisis between herdsmen and farmers in Nigeria.
Question 9: If federal government demarcates and revives the grazing routes as proposed, will that solve the problem?

Synthesized report:
Participants were skeptical of what to say. Only 20% of the interviewees are in support of the demarcation and revival of the hitherto abandoned grazing routes as a good approach for resolving the crisis between herdsmen and farmers. This suggestion is in line with Babagana et al., (2019), that government should create cattle tracks. While, majority of the (80%) of the respondents oppose such measure for fear of land occupation and the impunity for lawlessness displayed by the armed herdsmen. According to Eme et al.,(2017), Nigerians are very apprehensive of the unknown because of the unceasing killings and kidnapping of innocent people by the so-called fulani herdsmen and Boko Haram insurgents.
Question 10: what do you suggest as the way forward out this imbroglio?
Synthesized report: Herdsmen: government should provide grazing lands for herds and their cattle in every state in Nigeria Farmers: government should ban open grazing and provide land for cattle rearers in the northern states. Others: government should disarm the armed herdsmen because those Ak-47 or Ak-49 rifles at their disposal give them impunity to perpetuate criminality. Government must be serious towards ending the violence ensuing between herdsmen and farmers.

Overall Discussion
The study examined perceptions and implications of herdsmen and farmers bloody clashes on sustainability (food production, prices of foodstuffs, cost of living and security of lives and properties) and economic growth in Nigeria: investigative journalism approach. The study employed a cross sectional survey research design and the selected sample of the population were examined. A sampled size of 1000 respondents was selected using the census sampling method for purpose of convenience. The study found that the open grazing method of animal husbandry especially cattle rearing is no longer tenable and fashionable in modern times due to several reasons such as human population has tremendously increased, there are no vacant land for open grazing because the available lands have shared by industries for development, buildings for expansion of the society and the remaining for both subsistence and mechanized agriculture.
More so, there are better and advanced methods for animal husbandry such as ranching. It is also discovered that, had it been there were no migrant cattle rearers, there would have been no clash or bloody violence between herdsmen and farmers. It was inferred from the atrocities perpetrated by the herdsmen as acts of terrorism. Studies have argued that herdsmen are the fourth deadliest terrorist group in the world(Global Terrorism Index, 2018). We found that the lackadaisical attitude of government compounded the persistence of the crisis between herdsmen and farmers based on misguided interpretation of the right to freedom of movement of citizens to freedom of animals. Also, the declaration made by the Federal government on mapping out old and abandoned cattle routes across the country heightened the impunity exhibited by the armed herdsmen. According to sections 1 and 2 of the Land Use Act, 1978, all land comprised in every state is under the control and management of the State governor who holds it in trust for the people. The Federal government has no power over land in Nigeria except land in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT and other designated areas by law.
Based on these findings, the following recommendations are made; 1. There should be clear ban on open grazing for all categories of animals in the country.
Pastoral cattle rearing should be outlawed accompanied with severe sanctions against violators. 2. Based on the above, the government should establish ranching method as a modern approach for animal husbandry in States that have such land with approval from their government after thorough consultation with the local government areas and communities leaders. 3. All armed herders should be disarmed and the proposed ranching Communities be secured by government securities (the Nigerian Police, Community vigilante) against cattle rustlers and other miscreants in the society 4. Government should train the nomads on how to operate the ranching method for breeding cattle through agricultural extension services in local or indigenous languages. 5. Government should educate farmers and herders on the need for partnership, cohesiveness and promote peace at all costs because both are needed for national growth and development. The mass media should be harnessed for nation building. 6. Government should stop playing politics with security of life and properties. It is the primary purpose of every government to protect her citizens all over the world. 7. The Federal and State governments should put adequate measures in place to rehabilitate the internally displaced persons (IDPs) and allow them to go to their homes and farmlands to continue a peaceful communal life.

Limitations and Further Research Opportunities
Thus, although this study presents the results of an empirical analysis that directed suggestive results, it is necessary to further strengthen these suggestions and generalize the findings obtained. For example, one way to build consensus between citizens and the government is to encourage information sharing and behavior change through nudge effects that do not involve a financial burden, as emphasized by Oe and Yamaoka (2021). Furthermore, it goes without saying that in order to promote information sharing and mutual understanding among citizens, it is necessary to devise ways of communicating information and promoting understanding. In the future, we are determined to raise issues from these perspectives and to conduct more elaborate research and study on this theme Oe et al. 2022).