Transhumant Pastoral Economy and Human Security in Nigeria: Whither Civil Society Organisations?

Abstract

The limited access to land in most African states has engendered a fierce competition, especially among various agricultural user groups. The two major groups of agricultural land users are transhumant pastoralists and sedentary peasant farmers. The internecine conflict between these agro-user groups has grave implications for human security in Nigeria and beyond. Explanation of the conflict has centred on climate change and environmental security, population growth and urbanisation, and insecurity. However, the transnational character of this conflict, often made possible by relevant regional protocols, has not received adequate scholarly attention. This paper argues that networking of regional bodies and other stakeholders is the panacea for tackling the tension-soaked relationship between these land users.

Boko Haram, security architecture and counterinsurgency in North-East, Nigeria

“…The third centers on the positive attention the Nigerian government is paying to the “repentant” Boko Haram members while their victims are suffering in several IDP camps or elsewhere without any relief materials from the government. The fourth relates to what is perceived as President Buhari’s repressive treatment of other relatively nonviolent sectarian groups and movements such as the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, Yoruba Nation Movement, and the Indigenous People of Biafra while the so-called repentant Boko Haram members are being rehabilitated (Nwangwu, 2022; Nwangwu, Mbah et al, 2020). Drawing from the conclusion of Agwu et al (2022), it is apposite to state that the rehabilitation and reintegration of “repentant” Boko Haram members is normalizing rebellion as a pathway to attracting Nigerian government’s attention.…”

Border Governance, Migration Securitisation, and Security Challenges in Nigeria

“…Instead, various state actors have found solace in securitising border management and migration using Nigeria’s land border closure as a smokescreen for the state’s failure to provide internal security governance (Alumona et al, 2019 ). Even President Buhari had disclosed that the enormous security challenges—banditry, kidnapping, peasant farmer-herder conflict, and insurgency—the country is experiencing are consequences of the fallout of the Libyan conflict and the influx of foreign mercenaries trained and armed by the late Muammar Gadaffi of Libya (Nwangwu et al, 2020 ; Sahara Reporters, 2022a ). The allusion to President Buhari’s assertion was made by the Department of State Services, Nigeria’s domestic intelligence agency, when it attributed Nigeria’s security challenges to the activities of Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters who had infiltrated central parts of Nigeria (Wakili, 2018 ).…”

Organized Crime–Terror Nexus: Interrogating the Linkage Between Banditry and Terrorism in Northern Nigeria

“…While much is known concerning how organized crime supports the operations of terrorist/extremist groups (Ogbonnaya, 2020; Okoli, 2019; Okoli and Ugwu, 2019) in Nigeria, the contributions of terrorist/extremist organizations towards promoting and sustaining the endeavours of organized criminal networks has not been adequately investigated. Although the linkage between Boko Haram insurgency and cattle rustling has been vigorously explored and established in the literature, the focus in that regard has been on how cattle rustling proceeds exacerbate insurgency (Kuna & Ibrahim, 2015; Nwangwu et al, 2020; Okoli, 2019). Beyond the foregoing, what patterns of relationship exist between Boko Haram insurgency and rural banditry in northern Nigeria?…”