Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, has called on the National Assembly to enact legislation banning open grazing across the country as a step to end the long-standing farmer-herder conflicts that have severely affected agricultural productivity.
Speaking on the final day of the 3-Day National Summit on Nutrition and Food Security in Abuja, Oluyede, represented by the Executive Director of Nigerian Army Farms and Ranches Limited, Major General O.M. Dare declared that open grazing was no longer sustainable in light of increasing violent attacks, kidnappings, and destruction of farmland.
The summit, themed “Curbing Malnutrition and Food Insecurity Through Effective Synergies”, was convened by the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security with the support of development partners.
Calling on the National Assembly to provide ranching alternatives for herders through law, Oluyede emphasised that such legislation would serve as a non-kinetic approach to addressing insecurity and improving food supply in Nigeria.
“The issue of food insecurity is give and take. Even if all security agencies are deployed to the farms, they cannot cover every farmland,” he said.
He added, “There is nobody saying land will be taken forcefully from the owner (for ranching). We are not saying we must have ranches in every state; the ranches will be established in states willing to have them.”
The Army Chief stressed the importance of technology, collaboration across all levels of government, and a shift away from traditional nomadic practices toward modern ranching as part of the national solution.
Oluyede reiterated the Nigerian Army’s full commitment to national security, disclosing that the force had established various formations across the country to help prevent violent clashes between farmers and herders.
At the same summit, Rear Admiral Yusuf Sani Idris, representing the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, highlighted the Navy’s contribution to food security through Admiralty Farms Limited, which operates in nearly all geopolitical zones.
The Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Dr. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, represented by Assistant Commandant General Besong Michaels Ogar, said the agency created the agro-rangers unit to protect farming communities and large herds.
He noted that the unit’s mediation sub-division had successfully resolved over 4,000 disputes between herders and farmers.
Dr. Audi echoed the Army’s call for a legal framework to streamline pastoral and farming activities, citing tensions over encroached cattle routes in the Middle Belt and Northern regions.
In his opening remarks, Hon. Chike Okafor, Chairman of the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, acknowledged the efforts of security forces but stressed that “over 40% of farmlands in conflict-prone regions lie fallow,” worsening food inflation and malnutrition.
Okafor urged security agencies to intensify patrols, protect key farming assets, and train farmer cooperatives in surveillance and conflict resolution. He described the situation as “a crisis that must be addressed using a farm-to-table security framework.”
The summit concluded with lawmakers and military representatives agreeing on the need for urgent legislative and strategic action to secure agricultural livelihoods and ensure a stable food supply across Nigeria.
