CLIMATE CHANGE AND INTERNAL SECURITY IN NIGERIA: FULANI HERDSMEN-FARMERS CONFLICTS IN PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

The preponderance of internal security challenges such as Boko Haram insurgency, communal
clashes, herders-farmers conflicts, agitations for resource control, and indigene-settler conflicts
among others since the return to civil rule in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized. The results of
occurrences of these security challenges are massive loss of lives, destruction of properties and
halting of important economic and social activities. The menace of pastoralist-farmers conflicts has
recently taken a dangerous dimension with acquisition of sophisticated weapons. Incidents of
killing, miming, robbery, and intimidation by the herdsmen and their vengeful repercussions from
the farmers have inflicted pains on the people thus creating serious security challenge. Therefore,
this paper attempts to examine the menace of herdsmen and farmers conflicts with a view to identify
its relationships with climate change that is sweeping across the country. Data were collected from
secondary sources like journals, textbooks etc. and analyzed using qualitative methods. The paper
adopted the frustration-aggression theory as a theoretical framework. The study reveals that the
crises are related to environmental degradation caused by climate change and it militates against
internal security, causes destruction of lives, loss of properties and unemployment. This paper
recommended that the government should combat desertification engendered by climate change
and encourage the cattle owners to set up colonies and that the farmers should keep off from
annexing grazing lands allotted for grazing of cattle into farmlands.