Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Federal Government has identified six major farmers-herders conflict hotspots for priority intervention as part of a renewed push to end recurring clashes and transform Nigeria's livestock sector through modern ranching. The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, disclosed this on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, after briefing President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, on the activities of his ministry and progress in implementing the National Ranching Policy.
Maiha listed Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Adamawa states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as priority areas for the intervention because of their long history of farmers-herders conflicts. He said the Federal Government had identified 417 grazing reserves across the country and commenced a pilot ranching scheme in Plateau State as a proof of concept for a new livestock production model aimed at reducing cattle movement and tackling a major trigger of rural conflicts.
The minister said the government was also intensifying consultations with pastoral communities, having engaged about 34 pastoral organisations to secure their buy-in for the transition from open grazing and nomadic livestock production to ranching. According to him, the ministry recently held consultations with pastoralists under the leadership of the Grand Patron of Miyetti Allah and the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa'ad Abubakar, with another round of engagement expected within the next two weeks.
Maiha said the government's assessment showed that the traditional system of moving large herds across the country had become increasingly unsustainable because grazing routes had disappeared due to the expansion of farms, rapid urbanisation and growing demand for land for infrastructure. "Large number of cattle on the move is crisis-prone because, number one, the grazing routes have disappeared. Farms, large farms have come up, aggressive urbanisation, demand for land for infrastructure development, so many other things have made nomadism not sustainable," Maiha said.
He explained that nomadism had largely survived as a means of moving livestock from areas where feed and water were scarce to locations where they were available, arguing that providing those resources within designated settlements would remove the need for constant cattle movement. "Why don't you provide these resources in situ and stop these animals from moving? Human beings can move; they don't cause crisis. It's the animals' movement that normally generates this crisis," he said.
Maiha said the government was consequently promoting commercial pasture cultivation and a model under which grass could either be grown around livestock settlements or harvested elsewhere and transported to the animals. He added that breed improvement would enable pastoralists to keep fewer but more productive animals, reducing pressure on land while improving milk and meat production.
The minister said the ranching model would go beyond restricting cattle to designated areas, as the government plans to turn grazing reserves into integrated economic communities equipped with housing, veterinary clinics, primary schools, primary healthcare facilities, solar power and earth dams for irrigating pasture fields. According to him, concentrating livestock in properly developed reserves could also attract milk processors, modular abattoirs, biodigesters and other businesses along the livestock value chain. "At the end of the day, each of those grazing reserves will become an economic hub. Imagine what you are going to have if you have 30,000 head of cattle in one area. The milk collection alone will attract milk processors," he said.
The government's new push represents a significant shift in approach to the farmer-herder conflict, moving beyond the security-focused interventions of the past to address the underlying economic and environmental drivers of the crisis. Maiha's position reflects a growing consensus that the open grazing system, which has been the primary source of conflict between farming and pastoral communities, is no longer viable in a country where grazing routes have been swallowed by expanding agriculture, rapid urbanisation and infrastructure development.
The six identified flashpoints – Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Adamawa and the FCT – have borne the brunt of farmers-herders clashes for years, with hundreds of lives lost and thousands displaced. In May 2026 alone, at least 70 people died in communal clashes in Plateau State, leading the government to impose a dusk-to-dawn curfew. The new ranching policy aims to prevent such tragedies by removing the primary trigger of conflict: the movement of large herds across farming communities.
The government's plan to rehabilitate 417 grazing reserves nationwide is ambitious, but the success of the policy will depend on several factors. Chief among them is the willingness of pastoral communities to embrace the transition from nomadic to settled livestock production. Maiha's consultations with 34 pastoral organisations, including engagement with the Grand Patron of Miyetti Allah and the Sultan of Sokoto, suggest that the government is taking this challenge seriously. However, the transition will require significant investment in infrastructure, training, and support services to make ranching a viable alternative to the nomadic lifestyle.
Another critical factor is the cooperation of state governments in the six priority areas. While the federal government has identified the flashpoints, the implementation of the ranching policy will require land allocations, regulatory approvals and sustained political will at the state level. The Plateau State pilot project will serve as a test case for the broader rollout, and its success or failure will likely determine the pace of implementation across the other five priority areas.
The policy also has the potential to transform the livestock sector into a major driver of economic growth. By concentrating cattle in developed reserves, the government hopes to attract private investment in milk processing, meat production, and other segments of the value chain. This could create thousands of jobs, improve food security and reduce Nigeria's dependence on imported dairy and meat products. However, realising this vision will require sustained commitment from both the public and private sectors.
The farmers-herders conflict has been one of Nigeria's most intractable security challenges, claiming thousands of lives and displacing millions over the past decade. The government's new ranching policy represents a bold attempt to address the root causes of the crisis rather than simply managing its symptoms. Whether it succeeds will depend on the government's ability to implement the policy effectively, secure the buy-in of all stakeholders, and provide the necessary resources to make the transition to ranching a reality.
For now, the people of Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Adamawa and the FCT can take some comfort in the knowledge that their suffering has been recognised and that a comprehensive plan is finally in place to end the cycle of violence. But as the government begins the work of rehabilitating grazing reserves and establishing modern ranching settlements, the question on everyone's mind is whether this ambitious plan will finally bring peace to Nigeria's most conflict-ravaged communities, or whether it will join the long list of well-intentioned policies that failed to deliver on their promise.
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