Development Partners Unveil Guidelines For Prevention Of Farmer-Herder Clashes

A United Kingdom (UK) International Development-funded guidelines developed by Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL) for the prevention and resolution of land conflicts between farmers and herders have been launched in Kaduna State to sustain peace and strengthen security across the state.

During the unveiling of the guidelines held in Kaduna, the operations officer of HiiL and guideline lead, Mariam Abba, said the guidelines were developed through extensive consultations across affected states.

“It is an extensive research work carried out with stakeholders. We conducted key informant interviews and focus group discussions to ensure that all perspectives were captured,” she said.

She explained that the project, funded by the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRING) programme, covered Kaduna, Katsina, Plateau and Benue states.

“We trained 2,400 persons across the four states, including 600 in Kaduna, and our expectation is to reduce the burden of farmer-herder cases in courts through mediation and community-based resolution,” Abba said.

In his address, Kaduna state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Sule Shuaibu SAN, said the initiative was aimed at consolidating the gains recorded in tackling insecurity since the coming on board of Governor Uba Sani in 2023.

“You cannot talk about peace and progress where there are conflicts,” he said, adding that, “when this administration came on board, insecurity was the first and most important challenge we had to confront.”

He noted that the security situation has improved significantly, stressing that areas once considered unsafe are now accessible.

“Today, the scenario has changed. We have adopted inclusive approaches and early warning systems that are helping us address conflicts before they escalate,” he said.

“The Kaduna Peace model has been very impressive to such an extent that neighbouring states now come to learn from us”

Shuaibu commended development partners, particularly the HiiL, for their contributions to peacebuilding in the state.

Also speaking, the State Representative of SPRING, Barau Emmanuel, said the programme is designed to strengthen institutional capacity and build resilience among communities.

“The goal is to ensure that conflicts, especially farmer-herder issues, are resolved through peaceful channels and by strengthening trust in institutions,” he said.

Emmanuel expressed confidence that the newly launched guidelines would promote peaceful coexistence across communities in the state.