SPEECH BY ALHAJI LAI MOHAMMED, AT THE SPECIAL TOWN HALL MEETING ON FARMERS-HERDERS CLASHES IN ABUJA ON THURSDAY, 17 MAY 2018.{PHOTO}.

     PROTOCOL

Let me welcome you all to this special edition of our Town Hall Meeting, which will focus on the incessant clashes between farmers and herdsmen, with a view to contributing to the ongoing efforts to find lasting solutions to what has now snowballed into a crisis.

2. I will speak more on the Special Edition of the Town Hall Meeting shortly. But first, I want to sincerely thank my colleagues,Honourable Ministers, for taking time off their busy schedule to be here. May I also thank all our invited guests, as well as the gentlemen of the media, for honouring our invitation.

3. The format of today's Town Hall Meeting will be slightly different from the ones we have held in the past. We have invited an expert to present a paper that will put the crisis in a historical perspective, shed light on the knotty issues involved and proffer possible solutions. After his presentation, we will head straight tothe Question and Answer phase, bypassing the usual format of opening statements by the Honourable Ministers, who constitute the panelists. By doing this, we will be able to hear more from the stakeholders, while the panelists will be on hand to clarify areas that concern their ministries. Please note that there will be NO no-go areas at this meeting, and we will like to hear from as many stakeholders as possible. Therefore, we urge everyone to have an open mind and to feel free to express their opinions.

4. Honourable Ministers, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, in setting the tone for this Town Hall Meeting, I want to say that the recent spike in the number of clashes between farmers and herdsmen are not unconnected with demographic, environmental, social and economic dynamics, as well as criminality. It will be simplistic and indeed a distortion to attribute the clashes to ethnic and religious reasons, and I say this without prejudice to what this meeting will come up with.

5. Let me explain, starting with demography. In 1963, Nigeria's population was 52 million. Today, it is about 200 million, which is four times the old figure. Yet, the land space has remained the same, or has even shrunk if we take into consideration the effect of desertification, to which Nigeria loses 400,000 hectares of land every year. Against this background, the contest for land and other natural resources is bound to be keener, and the friction, more! There is also the case of the Lake Chad which has shrunk from 25,000 square kilometres to 2, 500 square kilometres. At its peak, it was supporting 35 million people from many countries in Africa. Today, most of those people have moved south in search of greener pastures, further exacerbating the contestation for increasingly scarce natural resources - and the resultant friction.

6. There is also the issue of sheer criminality, e.g. cattle rustling. For those who might be tempted to view the clashes between farmers and herdsmen from the ethno-religious prism, I will cite two instances to debunk such postulation. Zamfara State is probably the epicentre of cattle rustling in Nigeria. Those who rustle cattle areMuslims. The owners of the cattle they rustle are Muslims. Both groups most likely belong to the same ethnic group. Then, there is the case of Kebbi State, where 70 percent of those who are in jail are there due to the clashes between farmers and herdsmen. The farmers whose crops are eaten by cows are Muslim Fulani, and the herders whose cows eat the crops are Muslim Fulani: Same religion. Same ethnicity. Yet, clashes still occur, to such a level that people land in jail! I have

cited these examples so that we can be open to interrogating the real causes of the incessant clashes that have captured national and international attention and turned former neighbours to bitter enemies, so that together we can help to evolve a lasting solution to this crisis.

7. Permit me to put on the record here the various measures that have been taken by the Federal Government to stop these senseless killings and curtail the criminality that has fuelled the clashes as well as cattle rustling and other acts of insecurity, especially in the worst-hit areas.

- The Nigerian Army has recently flagged-off two Battalion Forward Operation Base (FOB) in Birnin- Gwari, with an operation tagged “Idon Raini”.

- The Nigerian Air Force has deployed its Special Forces to the newly-established 23 Quick Response Wing (QRW) in Nguroje, Taraba State.

- The NAF also has a 1000-man Special Intervention Force deployed to Makurdi to degrade bandits and criminals in Benue and Nasarawa States.

- The NAF has unveiled a new base in Kerang, Plateau State, with the aim of reducing its response time to emergencies. The ANAF has also deployed drones to flashpoints.

- The Directorate of Military Intelligence {DMI} has established a Fusion Centre, an intelligence analysis hub, for the purpose of gathering and sharing intelligence among the security agencies in the country. The centre is to tackle the desperate actions of Boko Haram terrorists in the North-East, who use underage children, particularly girls, as suicide bombers.

- President Muhammadu Buhari has also approved the establishment of a new Battalion of the Nigerian Army, as well as a new Police Area Command in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

- A Quick Response Wing has also been established by the Nigerian Air Force in Taraba State, while a Joint Military Intervention Force is fully on ground in Benue State.

- The 8 Task Force Division in Monguno was established to further strengthen military presence in the North East.

- The Federal Government has deployed 3,000 personnel of Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps Special Forces, known as ‘Agro-rangers’, to protect farms and agricultural investment in the country.

- The Police has deployed additional Five Units of Police Mobile Force, Police Special Forces, Police Aerial Surveillance Helicopters and Special Police Joint Intelligence and Investigation Team to Benue State.

- The Police has also deployed a surveillance helicopter to Taraba, and additional mobile police units to ensure the total restoration of peace to the state and the region.

8 It is also worth stating here that President Buhari has visited the affected flashpoints for an on-the-spot assessment and interaction with key stakeholders, while the Vice President has just paid a working visit to Benue. The Federal Government has also approved N10 billion for the rehabilitation of communities affected by violent attacks.

9. Also, significant arrests have been made in connection with the farmers-herdsmen clashes. They include Aliyu Tashaku, who was accused of masterminding some of the deadly attacks recorded across Benue state from January 1. The Nigerian Army has also arrested five men at Tse-Dum, in the Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, with two AK-47 rifles and live ammunition; The Police have smashed two gun running and arms dealing ring in Benue and Taraba; while the Nigerian Army has paraded three militia herdsmen in Benue, from whom two AK 47 rifles, live ammunition, cutlass and assorted charms were recovered.

recovered Ten AK 47 Rifles and other assorted firearms and ammunition from them. These are just some of the arrests made by the security forces in recent days.11. Honourable Ministers, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I will pulse here and cede the podium to our special guest to make his presentation, after which we will go straight to the Q & A part. May I now call on the MC to please introduce the special guest. I thank you for your kind attention.