Safety and security don’t just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear.

• Nelson MANDELA

‘Home of peace and tourism’…this is one state slogan that many will ponder it’s truth. We have the tourist attractions, but can we enjoy them without the peace?

In the nineties, a friend from Lagos schooling at Uni-Jos was always fascinated by how almost every home in Jos never locked their doors during the day. And my answer to him was “why should we?”
Those were the days I would say we were ‘resting in peace’.

Fast forward to today, and the spate of insecurity has made us a people always on the edge, a people in an almost constant state of suspicion.

How did it get this way? What are the causes? And what are the solutions?

On the level and type of insecurity we are experiencing let me start by saying –

WE CANNOT FIGHT THE WARS OF TODAY WITH THE WEAPONS OF YESTERDAY.

Permit me to briefly highlight what in my opinion are the root causes of robberies, cultism, kidnappings, rapes, muggings and the other crimes we see ravaging our streets and communities in Plateau State, and afterwards address the most pertinent problem we face; crimes committed by herdsmen (Fulani or not), rustlers, bandits or whatever name we feel comfortable calling them.

Some major causes of the common types of criminality that we have seen increase astronomically recently include (1) Unemployment (this is at an unsustainable rate of about 35.2% in Plateau State – and we know ‘an idle mind is….), (2) A weak judicial system (prosecution and dispensing of court cases is often very slow, and mostly favourable to the wealthy or ‘highest bidder’), (3) Easy availability of hard drugs and narcotics, (4) Porous international borders (uncontrolled influx of foreigners and the proliferation of small arms and light weapons), (5) Developmental and structural imbalance (marginalization – most regional agitations which start as legitimate complaints against government bias always lead to the rise of criminal empires – think Niger-Delta militants), (6) Terrorism (resulting from forced imposition of one’s religious beliefs on others – this requires an address of such ideologies and the strict respect of our religious freedoms as a guaranteed by the constitution), (7) Break-down of moral authority in homes (mostly an economic problem – can a parent who cannot fully cater to the needs of his/her wards have the justification/confidence to set moral boundaries for them) and (8) Corruption in leadership (political leadership, religious leadership, traditional leadership – leaders generally serve as moral references for every society, their actions or in-actions are always used as a yardstick or excuse for the behavior of the followers).

However, for now I would like to focus on the issue of ‘Fulani’ herdsmen which is currently threatening the very fabric of our existence and unity as a country.

Bandits, Fulani herdsmen, or just plain herdsmen whichever name you find appropriate diplomatically or politically.
Herdsmen of whom in Nigeria are mostly of Fulani descent, is a traditional ‘profession’ characterized by a nomadic lifestyle.

Is this nomadic lifestyle feasible and sustainable in this modern era – I say NO.

We have in time past always had skirmishes between Fulani herdsmen and farmers from as long as I can remember, and I know that within our traditional leadership structure these issues have always been resolved via dialogue and in some instances reprimands via payment of fines.

The Fulani herdsmen and farmers clashes as it pertains to cattle trespassing and destroying crops, and the retaliation and counter attacks, is at its roots an economic issue that bothers on land…and let’s remember that the administration of land within the territory of states is the sole responsibility of the governors who hold it in trust on behalf of the people they govern.
In addition to the farmer/herdsmen clashes, what we are experiencing now is a whole new security challenge with the advent of kidnappings from our homes and armed robbery on our roads – most of which, from testimony of several victims in Plateau state, are perpetrated by persons of Fulani ethnic descent and their occasional local collaborators.

Hence, we have two security issues to address centered around the ‘Fulani herdsman’; herdsmen/farmer clashes and criminality (kidnapping and armed robbery).

About 2 years ago, a friend’s daughter (a University student) was kidnapped somewhere around Bauchi ring road in Jos North LGA of the state. And she confirmed to having been taken by Fulani men…however what is strange from her account was how during their walk to the kidnappers’ den they were forced to hide and keep still whenever any Fulani herdsman with cattle were sighted.

And this occurrence has been supported by other kidnap stories as well.

This leads me to the conclusion that we have on one side Fulani herdsmen who normally carry out there nomadic activities (with the attendant clashes with farmers) and on the other side criminals of Fulani descent who engage in kidnappings/armed robberies and roam about freely under the guise of herdsmen.

Where the later come from or how they got here is a subject of different speculations; from the school of thought that say they are foreigners from Niger, Mali and other sub-saharan countries migrating down to Plateau and other middle belt states as a result of draught, to those who believe them to be mercenaries brought in for political reasons.

However, one thing is certain, separating the Fulani nomadic herdsmen from the Fulani criminal elements is a first step to resolving this security impasse.

It is my suggestion that to resolve both issues of herdsmen/farmer clash and provide a clear path to solving the kidnapping issues will require as a first step putting an end to the nomadic nature of cattle herding, via making ranching of animals mandatory, and incentivizing it.

Ranches should be established in partnership with the private sector and sited in locations -States, where the Fulani’s have cultural and religious affiliations, and make available facilities required for effective cattle rearing. On this I give kudos to Gov. Abdulahi Ganduje of Kano state, who has taken concrete steps towards the establishment of ranches in Dansoshiya, Samsosua and Falgore forests (based on news reports), and who has been a vocal advocate to ending nomadism.

And I join my voice with his to say “NOMADIC CATTLE REARING MUST END”.

And thinking of the economic potential of ranching; the dairy, meat and leather industries that can be spurn off it, it should be a venture our state can provide incentives to encourage private individuals/companies to establish for the indigenes of our dear state, after all, even yours humbly was a livestock herder as a boy. Cattle rearing is a profession, a business not ordained for any specific people group.

The cattle population in Nigeria is estimated to be between 13.9 million (Food and Agriculture Organization – FAO, of the United Nations) and 19.5m (National Agricultural Sample Census), for the sake of my being an eternal optimist I’ll use the latter figure.
At 19.5 million cows Nigeria is 4th in Africa (behind Ethiopia, Sudan and Tanzania – 54m, 41.9m and 24.5m respectively) and globally with 1.36% of the world wide cattle population we are 14th.

Now let us compare our numbers with Brazil, which has the world’s largest cattle population, with 211.7 million cows (that is more than 10 times the cattle population in Nigeria) and of that number nomadic herding of cattle is highly negligible as almost all these cows are in ranches. And this has helped brazil to export about $5.4 BILLION worth of beef annually (yes more than 2 TRILLION-naira exporting ‘nama’).

Nomadic herding of cattle has implications for cattle genetics, adaptation, well-being, nutrition, and production; in other words it decreases the economic output in terms of the quality of meat, milk and skin (leather). An example of this glaring consequence is when you are informed that herded lactating cows in Nigeria produce less than 1 gallon/day of milk, while in Brazil the cows produce an average of 6-7 gallons of milk daily.

And to think that Nigeria spends $1.2 – 1.5 BILLION (more than N500 BILLION) annually to import dairy products (milk, butter, cheese…).

So you see as much as ranching is a solution to a security problem, it can be a bigger solution to an economic problem.

Some might argue that nomadism is a cultural practice that is sacred… but CULTURE – defined as the way of life of a people, is never static. Throughout history we have seen culture as represented in our clothing style, language, festivals, beliefs…evolve with changes in demography, technology, climate, economy and other factors.

And in the light of the security challenges it portends and the potential economic benefits to be derived, shouldn’t the ‘nomadic culture’ of our Fulani brethren evolve with the times we are in?

We can stubbornly hold on to old systems, but think of it – anytime you enter a Habib Yogurt shop and order a cup of ‘fura da nunu’, each sip is a testament of the dynamism of culture.

Promoting ranching will kill the proverbial two birds with one stone; (1) Result in a winding down of the perennial herdsmen/farmer clashes while increasing the economic value derived from cattle rearing, and (2) More importantly take away the ‘legitimacy’ of movement, or should I say the ability of the Fulani criminal elements to move stealthily under the cover of herdsmen.

TAKE AWAY, VIA RANCHING, THESE LEGITIMATE FULANI HERDSMEN, AND ANYONE LEFT BEHIND IN OUR FORESTS IS A CRIMINAL AND SHOULD BE TREATED AS SUCH.

A people group research carried out by a mission agency shows that in Nigeria very few places still have undiscovered human populations, and I can confidently say that in Plateau state we don’t have any undiscovered/unconnected human settlements.

This means that any isolated groups of people identified in forested areas should be treated as suspects.

What stops us as a State from deploying satellite imagery, drone technology or simple high-altitude balloons fitted with thermal cameras to monitor human movements at night along major hotspots on the roads and forests?

These supported by a network of local informants and community security outfits like the Hunters’ Association, Vigilante groups and Neighbourhood Watch, equipped with telecommunication gadgets to monitor, track and report movement of unidentified persons in their areas will furnish us with relevant information which can be used by our security agencies for rapid and precise response to threats.

We can also work with traditional rulers, village heads and concerned citizens to perform KYC on new arrivals to our communities and report suspicious activities via this proposed statewide network established for information gathering. And as an added deterrence, laws should be made to confiscate or in extreme cases destroy buildings used for kidnappings or as criminal hideouts, this is to compel owners or landlords to ensure they properly profile and certify people residing in their properties.

Our state security outfit, Operation rainbow is also critical in combating criminal activities. With the use of intelligent information gathering coupled with the right and proper training, armed with high tech security equipment and strategically deploying personnel to flashpoints and identified criminal routes/hideouts; criminals and criminality can and will be flushed out of our dear state

We live in a world fueled by information technology, and in my industry I have seen drones, acoustic sensors, satellite imagery, radio-based tech, wireless telemetry and other available equipment to gather information that goes into effective monitoring of oil/gas pipelines, and these same technologies are being adapted for security purposes even here in Nigeria.

As criminals and crimes increase, new thinking and new tools are required to evolve new ways of preventing and combating them.

The wars our generals in the past fought were against enemies you could pin to a geographic location, modern day enemies of the people deploy unconventional ways in carrying out their heinous activities. They are non-state actors, mobile individuals or groups with sinister agenda, often times living among us, occasionally one of us and we need to harness the power that technology offers in terms of gathering data/information to fight these battles.

This is a matter that needs urgent response to as we are daily seeing the personal and economic impact of the actions of these criminal elements – we see it in the prices of foodstuff at markets a result of farmers unable to till their lands, our sons and daughters living outside the State afraid to visit home and the loss of our hospitality as a people.

Our right to live securely, drive through the streets without fear, farm our lands communally, have fun relishing the company of friends and family, and calmly enjoy the warmth of our spouses at night….Is being threatened – however the security situation we face as a state is not a case of the irresistible force paradox; where an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.

We as a people have surmounted impossible odds by the strength of our unity, the fervor of our ingenuity and our openness to embrace new thinking.

So I stand behind the people of our dear state to say “Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain…”

• Alfred Dapal DAMIYAL

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A WORLD IN TRANSITION – Rest or Resting in peace?