STATE FAILURE AS A DRIVER OF INSECURITY IN NIGERIA: A CRITIQUE OF HERDER–FARMER CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

The persistent conflict between herders and farmers remains one of Nigeria’s major internal security, livelihood and governance challenges. Although existing explanations emphasise competition over land and water, climate variability, pastoral mobility, agricultural expansion, livestock theft, criminality and identity politics, the effectiveness of state institutions in regulating these pressures is equally important. This study critically examines state capacity as a driver of insecurity and evaluates the adequacy of government responses to herder–farmer conflict in Nigeria. The study is anchored on State Failure Theory and Conflict Transformation Theory and adopts a qualitative documentary research design. The evidence base comprises peer-reviewed empirical studies, theoretical works, policy documents, and institutional reports, with particular attention to scholarship published from 2021 to 2026, while retaining selected foundational works for theoretical purposes. The review identifies five interconnected findings. First, institutional weakness does not create every conflict, but it influences whether resource disputes are prevented, regulated or transformed into recurrent violence. Second, government responses remain largely reactive, with security deployment often occurring after escalation rather than being systematically linked to early warning, justice, and prevention. Third, policy inconsistency and weak implementation have reduced the effectiveness of anti-open-grazing laws, livestock-sector reforms and other interventions. Fourth, local peacebuilding mechanisms possess important preventive potential but require institutional recognition, funding and accountability. Fifth, sustainable conflict management requires simultaneous attention to land governance, livestock production, justice, livelihoods, climate adaptation, early warning and relationships between affected communities. The study concludes that Nigeria’s challenge is better conceptualised as functional and sectoral weaknesses in state capacity than as total state collapse. Sustainable peace therefore requires a transition from reactive conflict containment to conflict transformation supported by capable, legitimate and accountable institutions.