FULANI HERDSMEN-FARMER CRISIS: IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The study focuses on the impact of climate change as the harbinger of the Fulani herdsmen/farmers crisis in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. The study argued that the killing is perpetuated by settlers who fight the host community. There have been reports of spate of killings of the Fulani/herdsmen who settled in the area and the killings of members of the host communities, destruction of their crops, kidnapping and raping of young girls and women. The reports from traditional chiefs in the communities have led to the arrest of some of these Fulani herders by security agencies. Thus, the area has become one of the flash points or hotspot of herder/Fulani killings in Edo state. Scholars have studied the farmer/herder conflict in Benue state, Adamawa, Plateau, Taraba and Enugu state, what remains to be studied is farmers/herders conflict in some communities in Ovia North East Local Government area of Edo state, Nigeria. The study is aimed at interrogating the causative factors of farmer/herdsmen crisis in the area. It utilises qualitative and the descriptive research design while the population of study were the farmers, herdsmen, and traditional rulers in the communities, FADAMA officials, the Miyetti Allah and the security agents such as the Police in the study area. Data were collected with both in-depth interview and focus group discussion. Findings showed that the crisis between the Fulani herdsmen and farmers in Ovia North East Local government of Edo state is widespread and has resulted in devastating outcome both economically and socially. Besides, nomads are settlers in Ovia north east.