Boko Haram Terrorists are Taking Advantage of Herdsmen/Farmers Clash, Says Dambazau

The need for a definitive policy that will involve all the critical stakeholders, specifically security agents to tackle the consistent herdsmen/ farmers clashes in the country and to arrive at a common understanding of the problems causing the conflict has prompted the Minister of Interior, Lieutenant Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (Rtd), to convene a “strategic stakeholders meeting on the pastoralist/ farmer conflict in Nigeria” in Abuja today, where he claimed that Boko Haram Terrorists are Taking Advantage of Herdsmen/Farmers Clash.

In his opening address, the Minister stressed that there have been a number of investigations into the conflict in the past, emphasizing the need to take a critical look at the reports, while devising new strategies to finally address the conflict. “There have been a number of committees and think-tank type investigations into the conflict in the past, “It is the intention of the ministry of interior to gather these together and note which have been implemented, highlighting the effects and failures of each in order to arrive at narrative and doctrinal certainties,’’ Dambazau said.

The minister also added that, “A further objective is to identify any laws and regulations that impact on the conflict. This will in turn inform a design of a definitive policy intervention, which will see multi-level, convergent action that will in turn lead to an abatement of this conflict.”

The minister identified that the conflict has resulted into loss of life, disruption of socio-economic activity, dislocation of people and communities, ‘‘more importantly, it is a threat to the integrity and peaceful coexistence of the Nigerian State. The rise of the social media and the internet has given scope to non-traditional media outlets which has seen interest groups frame stories surrounding the conflict in ways that have tend to undermine the corporate existence of Nigeria”.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr Bassey Akpanyung said the conflict, if not properly addressed has serious implication on national security. “It has resulted in untimely deaths on both sides of principal actors and innocent bystanders. We have lost too many lives and a lasting solution must be found to this perennial conflict”. The Permanent Secretary informed the participants at the stakeholders meeting that a common position is expected to be achieved towards organizing a stakeholder’s conference very soon.

There were officials from the Ministry of Defence, Nigerian Army, Nigeria immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Police Force, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Civil Defence, office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Boundary Commission and National human Rights Commission in attendance.