THE IMPLICATION OF HERDSMEN BANDITRY ACTIVITIES ON FOOD SCARCITY IN NIGERIA

THE IMPLICATION OF HERDSMEN BANDITRY ACTIVITIES ON FOOD SCARCITY IN NIGERIA

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Recent years have seen a rise in the prominence of security threats as a central topic of discussion throughout the world. This is mostly because to the devastation that these threats do to the economies of both developed and less developed nations. This is not an exception in the case of Nigeria as one of the developing economies across the world, with predicted high prospect of dominating the global economy in the near future after the Chinese economy due to its large quick expansion in the most recent period of time (Udeh 2017).

Etymologically speaking, the security threat in Nigeria has its profound trace from the age-old, ongoing ethnoreligious clashes between the acclaimed major ethnic groupings of Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba; intra and intercommunal rifts; and the most recent activities of Boko Haram, Banditry, and Herdsmen in the country. The operations of bandits and herders in Nigeria in recent years have been a nightmare, a cause of tremendous concern, and a source of great worry for a significant number of Nigerians both in Nigeria and in the diaspora. In light of this fact, the debate extended beyond than what might be classified as simple criminal acts or isolated incidents of homicide committed by unidentifiable persons in the course of their activity. In a similar vein, Obi, Chinweze, and Onyejebu (2018) argued that from a reality point of view Nigeria is under a severe internal security siege and menace as a result of these activities. They pointed out that the threat has both political and socioeconomic effects, and that it can also lead to a lack of food.

The social and economic problem of lacking food owing to resources, circumstances, or other limits is referred to as food scarcity or food insecurity in the United States. These terms are used interchangeably. This definition, which is supported by the ethnographic research that was carried out by Jaafar, (2018), added that food scarcity or insecurity is experienced when there is (1) uncertainty about future food availability and access, (2) insufficiency in the amount and kind of food that is required for a healthy lifestyle, or (3) the need to use socially unacceptable ways to acquire food and a concurrence of crises that would not allow availability of food production.

As a consequence of this, Gaye (2018a) came to the conclusion that Fulani-herdsmen who have been involved in banditry appear to be a key underlying component supporting food security in the country. The recent actions of this organization, which include, among other things, pillaging, raping, murdering, and abduction, represent a significant threat to the society's safety and security. It was this story, which severely dominated in the national dailies on a daily basis on how these bandits and shepherds carefully plot lethal attacks on various innocent farms and villages, using sophisticated assault firearms of AK-47, that was covered. According to the opinions of academics, if these attacks on farming communities continue, there is a possibility that Nigeria would have a food shortage in the year 2030 if insecurity on agricultural community persists. Studies reveal that this is a tendency (FAO 2021). This is due to the persistent bandit attacks that have been carried out on farmers in the Northeast and Middle Belt, which are considered to be the food basket of the nation. As a result, farming communities have been forced to flee their residences, leaving their crops and farms behind, which is likely to result in food scarcity or food insecurity.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Some socio-existential factors have been believed to be adequate reasons why armed banditry in rural areas has been able to effectively grow in Nigeria. Jaafar (2018) observed that many of these defining factors pose ecological difficulties not only in the core but also on the outside of the region.  According to Gaye (2018b), one of the most notable aspects of these situations is the lack of effective governance in the hinterlands and forestland. According to him, the North West and North Central regions of the Nigerian hinterlands are characterized by extremely dispersed normal settlements. These normal settlements have been separated by range land and farmlands with extreme gaps for settlements; as a result, these areas have served as hideouts that are only occasionally found. According to Okoh and Ugwu (2019), these forestlands are vast, rugged, and hazardous, and they are highly under-policed to the point where it makes them conducive for all forms of jungle criminality. Okoh and Ugwu state that this makes it highly likely that criminal activity will occur in these areas.

Corollary, it is important to highlight that farming operations are not only unable to be carried out in a climate that is unpredictable, but that domestic agricultural output is also inhibited, farming communities are relocated, and access to regional markets is limited. All of these things are worthy of being noted. According to Eigege and Cooke (2016)'s observations, the atrocious banditry attacks on the farming  communities carried out by Fulani pastoralists have rendered it hard for farmers in these areas to get to their fields in order to produce or harvest crops. More than that, in addition to the farmers being physically assaulted, the farmers' livestock (cows and cattle) have also caused major damage to the farmers' crops, which makes their pain much worse. The repercussions of this are reflected in the unabated rise in the prices of food commodities, the shortage of certain food products, and the adverse food scarcity and insecurity in the country as a result of areas where food crops are planted or produced no longer farming as a result of the insecurity. According to Adeniyi (2018), the majority of farmers in agriculturally popular communities in the middle belt, northwest, and northeast have left their farms and migrated to other communities in search of protection for their live while some left their farm crops unharvested  for fear of banditry groups who have destroyed the seedlings. This has a negative effect on the availability of food product and creates a situation similar to a food shortage in the country. Although there are several researches on fulani herdsmen attack and banditry activities,  given this context, the purpose of this study is to investigate the implications of herdsmen banditry activities on food Scarcity in Nigeria.

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