DYNAMICS OF FARMER–HERDER CONFLICTS IN BENUE STATE: A SOCIO-POLITICAL AND SECURITY ANALYSIS.

Abstract

Farmer–herder conflict has emerged as one of the most persistent and destabilizing forms of communal violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, with Benue State occupying a central position due to its agrarian economy and strategic food-production role. This paper examines the intrastate and intercommunal dimensions of farmer–herder conflict in Benue State, focusing on its drivers, dynamics, and consequences. Drawing on recent empirical studies, policy analyses, and human-rights reports, the study interrogates how climate variability, land-use pressures, governance failures, and identity politics interact to escalate localised disputes into large-scale violence. Anchored in political ecology and human security perspectives, the paper argues that state responses, particularly anti-open-grazing legislation, have produced ambivalent outcomes, reduced visible pastoral movement, and intensified underground mobility and violent reprisals. The paper concludes that sustainable conflict mitigation in Benue State requires integrated land governance, inclusive policy implementation, and conflict-sensitive livelihood interventions that address both structural and immediate human security needs.