KADUNA, North-West, Nigeria – The Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation (SABMF), has said the conflict between herdsmen/farmers can ignite fire of violence across the country if not properly tackled now.
Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation and former governor of Kano state, Dr. Ibrahim Shekarau, disclosed this while reading the communiqué issued at the end of a 2-day roundtable discussion on herdsmen/farmers conflict held in Kaduna on Tuesday.
Dr. Shekarau said the 2-day meeting has revealed facts that there is problem between the herdsmen and farmers in Nigeria. According to him, these conflicts arose from misunderstanding and suspicions between the groups.
He added that negligence on the part of previous administrations to address those issues between the groups has also contributed to what is being witnessed in the country today. As most of them believed they have not received justice from the previous governments.
Speaking on the outcome of the meeting, Dr. Shekarau said the SABMF wants to sustain the legacy of the former Premier of the Northern region, late Sir Ahmadu Bello who united the north.
“In view of this we have listen to various groups from both sides and as a temporary measures we pleaded with them to sheath their swords while we work out measures to address the menace.
“We will get across to all stakeholders especially the Northern States Governors’ Forum, Northern Senators’ Forum, various local governments and other relevant bodies to present our position for them to understand that there are problems on ground that must be addressed.
“The BoT will study all presentations and come out with a road map to be presented to stakeholders. During the 2-day meeting, we did not apportion blame or judgmental rather we allowed people to present their positions as it affects them.
“We also called on state governments to look at various laws and legislation that affects the herdsmen and farmers and see how they can benefit them; saying laws are made for human beings. And in a situation where any group is unsatisfied with the law enforcement will become a problem. So, it is not only enacting a law but considering how it will affect the herdsmen and farmers is the utmost important,” he said.
Dr. Shekarau who was flanked by the former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Salisu Ibrahim and the Managing Director of SABMF; Dr. Ali Aji while addressing the press, thanked all groups that came out with their position papers and also commended all resource persons.
He assured the gathering that the nation is speedily moving towards tackling the herdsmen/farmers conflicts bedeviling the nation.