The Niger State Government has introduced a policy requiring pastoralists entering the state to obtain official permits, warning that anyone without one will be regarded as a rustler.
The measure is part of efforts to strengthen security, regulate livestock movement and prevent criminal elements from infiltrating the state under the guise of pastoral activities.
Commissioner for Nomadic and Pastoral Affairs, Umar Ahmed Rabe, announced the policy yesterday during the New Niger Quarterly Media Briefing held at the ICT Centre in Minna. The forum, tagged A Quarterly Government Performance and Citizen Engagement Forum, brought together commissioners and heads of government agencies to present government policies and programmes.
Rabe said the state government would profile all incoming pastoralists and monitor their activities, particularly in border local government areas, to ensure that only genuine herders operate within the state.
According to him, the establishment of the Ministry of Nomadic and Pastoral Affairs in August 2022 has enabled the government to compile reliable records on pastoralists across the state.
“With the political will of Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago, we now have comprehensive data on the leadership of pastoralist groups in Niger State. We know their associations and their chairmen in various localities,” he said.
He disclosed that the government plans to complete a database of pastoralists, their livestock and their locations within the next three years to improve security, planning and service delivery.
Rabe added that the database would enable the government to identify pastoralist settlements and provide them with basic amenities, including potable water.
He also said the government had introduced empowerment programmes for women and youths in pastoral communities, alongside initiatives to resolve recurring land disputes.
The commissioner maintained that most conflicts in the state were land-related rather than herder-farmer clashes, insisting that Niger State had no established bandit camps.
“We do not have bandit camps in Niger State. Bandits only penetrate the state through neighbouring states. Security agencies have therefore been directed to profile every pastoralist entering the state in order to identify genuine herders,” he said.
Commissioner of Police Adamu Abdullahi Elleman, represented by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said the influx of pastoralists into the state was largely driven by insecurity in neighbouring states.
He noted that while every Nigerian has the constitutional right to freedom of movement, security agencies would continue to work with the state government to screen incoming pastoralists and prevent criminal elements from exploiting that right.
“As you are aware, everybody has the freedom to move from one location to another. Nobody can stop anybody from relocating to another location,” he said.
Elleman said the profiling exercise would help security agencies identify genuine pastoralists while safeguarding public safety.