The role of Benue State Anti-Open Grazing and Ranches Establishment Law in enhancing peace-building in Benue State

Abstract

Perennial clashes between herdsmen and farmers in Nigeria have not only exacerbated inter-ethnic disharmony but have stunted food production and reinforced circles of poverty and hunger in the country. With the increasing number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the country, the clashes are becoming potentially dangerous as the Boko-Haram insurgency in North-Eastern Nigeria. Benue State is one of the States in the country that has suffered traumatic attacks from herdsmen with attendant high death toll and large-scale destruction of farmlands, environmental degradation, and pollution caused by open rearing and grazing of livestock. To stem farmers-herders’ clashes, the Benue State government enacted the ‘Open-Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law, 2017. This paper assesses the efficacy of the Anti-Open Grazing Law in enhancing peace-building in the State. Anchored on the theory of structural functionalism, the paper relies on documentary sources for the generation of data. The study found out that the law brought momentary peace to the State but it failed to realize its objectives as no ranches were established; and the herdsmen continued to use the border areas with the neighboring states to launch attacks and make incursions into the State to graze in opposition to the law. Amongst other suggestions, the paper recommends that, states adjoining each other should synergize and enact similar law to ward off the threat of herdsmen; government; civil society groups and private investors should collaborate and set up ranches.