The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Ondo State has urged community stakeholders to intensify efforts toward resolving farmers–herders clashes to promote lasting peace and economic stability.
State Commandant Oluyemi Ibiloye made the call during a stakeholder engagement and training session on conflict mitigation in Akure South and North Local Government Areas.
The two-day programme was organised by Partners for Peace in the Niger Delta in partnership with the NSCDC to deepen dialogue and strengthen local peace structures.
Ibiloye praised the organisation for its commitment to peace building, noting that the recurring clashes are a national concern that requires joint intervention. He stressed that the complexity of the crisis makes collaborative engagement indispensable.
“Sustainable peace can only be achieved when each group, including farmers, herders, traditional rulers, community leaders, government agencies, civil society organisations and security operatives understand their role and commit to working together.
“As we are approaching the dry season, there is tendency that herders will start coming from the North towards the South, so we want to fashion ways to avoid intending conflicts between them.
“When peace is broken, farmlands are abandoned, markets are disrupted and families are thrown into economic hardship.
“Ultimately, the state’s agricultural output, food security and internally generated revenue suffer significantly,” he said.
P4P State Coordinator, Mrs Stella-Ikeokwu Nathaniel, said the collaboration aligns with the group’s mandate to promote peaceful approaches to conflict resolution across communities. She urged residents to work with security agencies to address the crisis.
“This the time for everyone to rise up and joins hands with the security agents to find a lasting solution to the clash between farmers and herders for the betterment of the country’s peace and development.
“Issues of insecurity should not be left in hands of security agents alone, every individual should be involved in peace, beginning with you and I,” Nathaniel said.
Senior Special Adviser on Security to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Mr Olugbega Atiba, commended the NSCDC for its efforts against kidnapping in forest areas and restated the government’s support for security agencies working to curb the clashes.
Chairman of the Ondo State Farmers Congress, Mr Abayomi Monilari, represented by Mr Oni Temitope, also applauded the initiative, saying farmers continue to face severe threats that undermine their livelihoods.
“Today, we hear that farmers are being kidnapped, another day, farmers are being killed or their farms destroyed by the herders and their cows.
“But with this stakeholders engagement, it will proffer reasonable solutions to the conflicts between the farmers and herders, especially in the state,” he said.
Traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth groups and civil society organisations were also represented at the forum.