The violence erupted on November 30 due to the alleged encroachment of farmlands and the murder of a farmer by unidentified assailants in the area.
The Nigeria Police Force, the Borno State Command, has confirmed the death of eight persons who died in a clash between farmers and herders over alleged land dispute in the Bayo Local Government Area of the state.
This was confirmed by the State Commissioner of Police, Abdu Umar, at a meeting with leaders of the farmer association and Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) on Friday in Maiduguri, the state capital.
According to CPS, the violence erupted on November 30 due to the alleged encroachment of farmlands and the murder of a farmer by unidentified assailants in the area.
He said, “Eight persons were killed, including children, while 47 houses and six motorcycles were burnt."
He stated that the police had returned the area to normalcy and arrested several suspects in connection with the disturbance. He went on to say that the state government had provided relief items to those in need.
He continued: “This is a source of concern to the government and security agencies; the meeting aims to provide a lasting solution to the problem.
“At the end, we shall come up with modalities to check movement of wandering herders into the state, especially in areas that witnessed violence.”
He stated that the committee would be made up of representatives from security agencies, farmers, and herders associations.
In his remarks, MACBAN Chairman, Ahmadu Musa-Karube, called for proactive measures to address the root cause of the problem.
Musa-Karube blamed farmer/herder clashes in the state on a lack of cattle routes and encroachment on farmlands.
He also called for closer collaboration between the leadership of the farmers and herders’ unions to address the problem.