IPCR, KAICIID, NIALS Set To Tackle Herdsmen-Farmer Clashes at Policy Review Meeting in Abuja

By: Michael Mike

The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), in collaboration with King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue KAICIID and the Nigerian Institute for Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), has joined forces to address Nigeria’s escalating tensions between farming and pastoralist communities.

At the First Quarter Policy Review Meeting themed “Livestock Policies in Nigeria: Implications for Peace, Security, and Reconciliation,” stakeholders highlighted the urgent need for reforms to address policy gaps driving communal violence.

The event which held on Tuesday at the IPCR Director-General’s Conference Room in Abuja, stakeholders gathered for a high-level dialogue led by the Director-General of the IPCR, Dr. Joseph Ochogwu.

Ochogwu set the tone by emphasising that livestock production, while a backbone of Nigeria’s rural economy, has become a trigger for recurring conflict, displacement, and national insecurity.

He said: “We are all witnesses to the devastating impact of these clashes,” stressing that: “From loss of lives to destruction of properties and disruption of food supply chains, the consequences are eroding national cohesion and fuelling organised crime.”

He noted that despite existing frameworks like the National Livestock Transformation Plan (2019–2028), the National Dairy Development Policy (2021), and anti-open grazing laws, implementation has remained inconsistent and, in many cases, polarising.

“Too many communities still view government efforts with scepticism. Policies that are not inclusive or culturally sensitive will continue to fall short of expectations,” Ochogwu warned.

He noted that: “Every insight shared here today has the potential to prevent conflict tomorrow.”

The meeting, which featured policymakers, religious leaders, civil society representatives, and researchers, served as a platform to review livestock governance policies and their intersection with peace and security outcomes.

Ochogwu underlined the indispensable role of the Network of Policymakers and Religious Leaders (NPMRL) as a forum for inclusive dialogue. He stressed the power of religious and traditional institutions to mediate conflicts and counter misinformation where government efforts may fall short.

He said: “Religious leaders are trusted voices in times of crisis. By meaningfully engaging them in livestock governance, we build trust, legitimacy, and ownership at the community level.”

He further called for a shift in how policies are monitored, not merely by economic metrics, but by how they enhance peace and human dignity.

“Behind every policy are real lives — the farmer feeding his family, the pastoralist protecting his herd, the woman whose livelihood is disrupted, and the child whose future is at stake.”

Since 2016, the IPCR-KAICIID partnership has fostered interfaith dialogue platforms like the Interfaith Dialogue Forum for Peace (IDFP) and has hosted quarterly policy review meetings since 2021. Dr. Ochogwu noted that these engagements have proven the effectiveness of inclusive dialogue in resolving sensitive national issues.

The session also featured a lead paper by Dr. Andrew Kwasari and discussants from government ministries, academia, and research institutions. They examined alignment between livestock policies and mandates of key institutions, including Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), faith bodies, and civil society organisations.

“Peace-sensitive livestock governance is not optional it is a national imperative,”

“This gathering is not just a policy review. It is a moral and social obligation to ensure no Nigerian is left behind in our pursuit of peace.”Dr. Ochogwu concluded.

The Country Expert from KAICIID Dr. Joseph Atang revealed the urgent need to critically assess Nigeria’s livestock policy, particularly in terms of its sensitivity to existing conflicts. Without understanding whether the policy mitigates or aggravates tensions, meaningful recommendations cannot be made.

“So how conflict sensitive is the livestock policy in Nigeria? We would need to know that. Because if we don’t know what the policy is all about, and we don’t know whether it is conflict sensitive or not, we will not be able to give recommendations that are cogent and practicable and implementable.”

He acknowledged that the farmers-herders conflict is often a catalyst for broader tensions,sometimes framed through religious or ethnic lines making the policy not just an agricultural issue, but a peace and security concern.

“We know that what we call the farmers-hunters conflict is perhaps an indirect reason why we have the policy ,Sometimes, the conflict is executed on the platform of ethnicity, sometimes on the platform of religion.”

Atang stressed that while the Ministry of Livestock Development is the lead agency, the success of the livestock policy depends on all stakeholders including religious bodies, MDAs, and security agencies actively promoting, integrating, and supporting its goals.

“Although our eyes are all on the livestock ministry for implementation, we still have to do our own bit to make sure that it succeed

“All the MDAs, Ministries, Departments, and Agencies What are the religious organisations doing about this?”

Atang emphasized that all stakeholders religious groups, security agencies, and civil society must go beyond attending meetings and actively mainstream livestock policy into their respective programs and constituencies.

“We are supposed to mainstream this policy into our own programmes. What is CAN doing about this livestock policy? What is JNI doing about this livestock policy? How are we promoting it within our constituencies?”

The President at SCL Future Food Systems, Dr. Andrew Kwasari cautioned that livestock reform should not be viewed merely through an economic lens. Instead, it must be firmly rooted in Nigeria’s broader peace and stability strategy to address the root causes of conflict.

He said: “Livestock reform should not be pursued solely as an economic modernisation agenda, but as a cornerstone for Nigeria’s peace and stability strategy.”

He stressed the need for peace-sensitive monitoring and evaluation frameworks that go beyond economic metrics like productivity. These frameworks should also measure community perceptions, institutional collaboration, and actual conflict reduction.

“Monitoring frameworks must track not only productivity gains, but also reduction in violence and improvement in intercommunal relations.”

Kwasari emphasized the importance of listening to the communities most affected by livestock policies. Independent evaluations must amplify these voices to ensure inclusive and equitable policy outcomes.

“Commission independent evaluation of livestock policy implementation that prioritises the voices of affected communities, particularly marginalised groups.”

IPCR, KAICIID, NIALS Set To Tackle Herdsmen-Farmer Clashes at Policy Review Meeting in Abuja