Boko Haram using herdsmen/farmer’s crises to terrorize Nigerians – Minister of Interior

The Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau(rtd) on Thursday disclosed that Boko Haram members were using the persistent crises between Fulani herdsmen and farmer across the country to terrorize Nigerians.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of a stakeholders’ meeting on pastoralists/sedentary farmers’ conflict in Nigeria, Danbazau said aside the menace of the insurgent attack, there were other opportunistic criminal angles to the conflict.

Dambazau said, “Indications are that there are opportunistic criminal angles to the conflict in the nature of cattle-rustling, armed robbery and kidnapping.”

Stating that the Fulani/farmers crises occurs mostly in the Niger-Benue River Basin area, and spread to the South-east and Western Nigeria, the Minister stressed that the conflict has grave implication to Nigeria’s internal security.

Addressing stakeholders, Dambazau noted, “A further objective is to identify laws and regulations that impact on the conflict. This will in turn inform the design of a definitive policy intervention which will see multi-level, convergent action that will in turn lead to an abatement of this conflict.”