Ethnicity and Motivations for Fulani Herders and Host Communities Aggression in Nigeria: Fulani Versus Indigenous People of Plateau State

Abstract

This paper investigated how ethnicity affects the perceptions of what motivates the aggression between Fulani herders and the Plateau indigenous people of Nigeria. The research was conducted in four selected and most aggression-affected Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Plateau State: Barkin Ladi, Bassa, Jos-South, and Riyom. The sample size of 400 was determined using Yamane Taro’s sample size formula. The study adopted a mixed method of quantitative (survey) and qualitative – Key informant Interviews (KII) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) for data collection. Four hundred copies of the questionnaire were distributed, and seven KII and nine FGDs were conducted. The findings indicated that the Fulani and their host communities have different perceptions of the motivation for the aggression between them. The study found a relationship between ethnicity and four out of the five identified drivers of the attacks in Plateau State. This study recommended that the Plateau State government should return the displaced communities taken over by the Fulani herders to change the indigenous people’s perception that the aggression is not about land-grabbing, Fulanization, and Jihad. The Government should also arrest and prosecute cattle rustlers to stem the tide of the attacks in Plateau State.