Herders Fleeing Insecurity Bring 15,000 Cattle to Adamawa’s Shellenge, Alarming Local NGO

Authorities in Adamawa state have been alerted to an influx of a large number of herders bearing herds of cattle into Shellenge, a local government area in the southern fringes of the state. A pro-peace non-government organisation, Peace Architecture Dialogue (PAD), which says the herders fled insecurity in Borno state, expressed the worry that they pose security threats to their new environment. The organisation which puts the number of invading herds to about 15,000, says the presence of such large numbers of cattle has heightened tensions between farming communities and herders, “in an area known for recurrent skirmishes between both groups.” The PAD chairman in Adamawa state, Vidon Jaule, said during a press briefing in the state capital, Yola that given the potential for conflict, deployment of more security personnel in the local communities has become necessary, supported by appeal to farming and herder communities on collaborative conduct against the crisis. Stressing that criminality has been fueled by the lack of security presence in most local communities, Jaule said: “Government as a matter of urgency, needs to prioritise the establishment of more police outposts in flash points of farmer-herder hostilities in the seven local government areas of Numan, Lamurde, Demsa, Guyuk, Mayo-Belwa, Girei and Shelleng as part of early warning response to potential conflict. “There’s a well-documented complaint among communities in the seven LGAs of the challenge of not having police presence at the right places.” He recalled that PAD which has been working for harmony between herders and farmers in Adamawa state since 2014, has assisted in handling 201 incidents in the seven LGAs which could have resulted in conflict between farmers and herders.