Herdsmen Attacks and Its Economic Consequences in Apa Local Government of Benue State, Nigeria

This research accentuated herdsmen’s attacks and the economic consequences in Apa Local Government Area of Benue State. The work aimed at examining these attacks so as to ascertain their economic imports on the people and to proffer solutions towards resolving farmers/herdsmen conflicts. Fulani herdsmen attacks had brought untold hardships to the people of Nigeria, Benue, and Apa Local Government in particular. These attacks have resulted in the destruction of human lives and property, farm lands and crops, displacement of people and loss of means of livelihood. The paper used descriptive and analytical methods, and the services of primary and secondary sources of data collection and analysis, to address the issues raised. The findings revealed that herdsmen/farmer conflicts usually occur due to: struggle for grazing fields, farmers obstruction to the grazing route, herdsmen leading their cattle to destroying farmlands and crops, herders’ resistance with superiors firearms, pollution of village stream water, and incessant raping and kidnapping for ransom. All these have led to constant clashes between the two opposing parties, with recurrent damages on both sides. It is very important that efforts towards ending these clashes by all parties, should be on top gear. In other to achieve this, the work recommended that herders and farmers should learn to be law-abiding, embrace peace and to shun violence. Dialogue for peaceful coexistence should be encouraged, while the government should establish ranching methods of rearing animals and banish pastoral methods, which have become obsolete today.