Group Backs Defence Chief On End To Open Grazing

National Security and Development Group has backed the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, in his call for an end to open grazing in the country.

The group warns that continued silence on the matter would worsen insecurity and food scarcity.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja yesterday, the group’s secretary, Chuks Oyema, said the menace of open grazing had caused untold losses to farmers, destroyed livelihoods, and triggered violent clashes that claimed thousands of lives across Nigeria.

“How long will we shy away from saying the obvious truth?” Oyema asked. “History will remember Gen. Musa for his sincerity on this issue. As a seasoned and tested General, he is best positioned to proffer solutions to the crisis.”

The group cited several reports and statistics to back its case, noting that at least 2,800 lives had been lost to conflicts linked to open grazing in the last five years, despite the enactment of anti-open grazing laws in 19 states.

According to Nextier’s Violent Conflict Database, between 2020 and 2024 alone, there were 359 incidents tied to open grazing, with 2,349 people killed. In 2024, 61 such incidents led to 467 casualties.

Similarly, the International Crisis Group reported that over 1,300 Nigerians died in 2018 from violence connected to open grazing.

The group also recalled that in 2021, northern governors described open grazing as obsolete and demanded its abolition, while the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB) warned that the country could only tackle insecurity by adopting ranching.

Other stakeholders have recently joined the call. Senator Mohammed Sani Musa, representing Niger East, and Governor Umaru Bago of Niger State, have both urged herders to embrace ranching. Likewise, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, asked the National Assembly to pass a law banning open grazing, describing it as a key step in addressing kidnappings and violent attacks attributed to herdsmen.

Oyema said the crisis had also gravely affected food security, as many farmers abandoned their farms due to repeated losses. This led to higher unemployment in the agriculture sector and worsening hunger across the country.