By Sulyman Gobir
The Director-General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Dr Joseph Ochogwu, says state policing could help tackle farmer-herder conflicts and rural banditry through improved intelligence gathering and faster responses to security threats.
He, however, warned that decentralised policing would require effective oversight to prevent political interference, human rights abuses and the persecution of minority groups.
Ochogwu spoke in Abuja on Thursday, at a conference on peace and conflict resolution organised by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation-West Africa.
The conference examined farmer-herder conflicts in North-Central Nigeria and rural banditry, with participants discussing ways to prevent recurring violence and achieve lasting peace in affected communities.
The debate over state policing has gained momentum following progress on a proposed constitutional amendment to establish a dual policing system. On October 23, the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill said 24 state Houses of Assembly had approved the amendment.
Discussions at the conference highlighted disputes over land, water, grazing routes and livelihoods as factors contributing to farmer-herder conflicts, particularly in Benue and Plateau states.
Participants called for stronger early-warning systems, dialogue between communities, impartial law enforcement and better mechanisms for resolving disputes over land and natural resources.
Ochogwu said Nigeria’s security challenges were linked to governance failures, weak institutions and the inability of communities to resolve grievances through legitimate channels.
He added that security operations should be accompanied by justice, accountability, humanitarian assistance and measures to restore the livelihoods of affected people.
The IPCR director-general cited the June 2025 attack on Yelewata community in Benue State, in which more than 200 people were reportedly killed and over 3,000 displaced, as an example of the consequences of rural insecurity.
