{"id":17439,"date":"2017-09-20T23:38:03","date_gmt":"2017-09-20T22:38:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/?p=17439"},"modified":"2017-09-20T23:38:03","modified_gmt":"2017-09-20T22:38:03","slug":"climate-shock-soil-degradation-brought-nigeria-deaths-sorrow-distrust-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/climate-shock-soil-degradation-brought-nigeria-deaths-sorrow-distrust-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate Shock: How Soil Degradation Brought Nigeria Deaths, Sorrow, Distrust"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><i id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3172\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3173\">Herders and farmers now share a fragile co-existence in Nigeria, further underscoring the fact that man needs the environment and the latter doesn\u2019t need him. <b id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3174\">Tayo Olanipekun<\/b> writes that effects of Climate Change on rural dwellers are quite death-dealing. He also focuses on how soil degradation brought death, sorrow and distrust.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3181\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3182\">Attacks on farmers by suspected Fulani herdsmen may have inched Nigeria closer to food shortage as killings in the agrarian communities have started having impacts on rural livelihood, findings have shown.<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3184\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3185\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3186\" \/> <br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3187\" \/> <u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3189\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3190\">With over 30,000 persons displaced nationwide and 1,878 killed in Benue State alone over pasturage, the consequences can\u2019t be more visible: over-grazed lands, abandonment of farms, depletion of yields and increase in the number of dependants in many communities.<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3192\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3194\" \/><\/p><div data-ad-id=\"32665\" style=\"text-align:center; margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px;float:none;\" class=\"afw afw_ad_image afw_ad afwadid-32665  \">\r\n                                                            <div style=\"font-size:10px;text-align:center;color:#cccccc;\">Advertisement<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.accessbankplc.com\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img decoding=\"async\" height=\"auto\" max-width=\"100%\" src=\"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Banner-1.jpg\"><\/a>\r\n                                                                        \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_17441\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17441\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-17441\" src=\"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Former-family-house-turned-grave-of-four-members-of-same-household-in-Agatu-300x226.jpg\" alt=\"Former-family-house-turned-grave-of-four-members-of-same-household-in-Agatu\" width=\"300\" height=\"226\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Former-family-house-turned-grave-of-four-members-of-same-household-in-Agatu-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Former-family-house-turned-grave-of-four-members-of-same-household-in-Agatu-768x579.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Former-family-house-turned-grave-of-four-members-of-same-household-in-Agatu-1024x771.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Former-family-house-turned-grave-of-four-members-of-same-household-in-Agatu-110x83.jpg 110w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Former-family-house-turned-grave-of-four-members-of-same-household-in-Agatu-420x316.jpg 420w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Former-family-house-turned-grave-of-four-members-of-same-household-in-Agatu-571x430.jpg 571w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-17441\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former-family-house-turned-grave-of-four-members-of-same-household-in-Agatu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3193\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3195\" \/> <u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3197\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3198\">Bloody clashes between the herders and farmers have been recurrent in the country and farmers said the population of herdsmen and their livestock has kept increasing. And this has been discovered to be having negative impacts on farm activities in Ebonyi, Enugu, Benue, Kaduna and other states around the Guinea Savannah.<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3200\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3201\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3203\" \/> <\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3205\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3206\">Egba, an agrarian community in the Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State, is one of the communities that have had deadly encounters.\u00a0<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3208\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3209\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3211\" \/> <\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3213\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3214\">The village was, on March 15, 2015, besieged by about 800 gun-wielding suspected Fulani herdsmen in a predawn attack which left no fewer than 150 persons dead and several others injured.<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3216\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3217\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3219\" \/> <\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3221\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3222\">\u201cFulani are now everywhere in Nigeria. They said only the grasses on our land make their animals flourish and reproduce faster,\u201d said the Secretary General, Agatu Local Government Youth Forum, Ezekiel Ojepa, recently. \u201cTheir number and the population of their cattle can\u2019t allow them feed well in the northern part of the country it seems.\u201d<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3224\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3225\"><u><\/u>\u00a0<u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3227\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3228\">Benue, in the middle belt of Northern and Southern Nigeria, is credited with the supply of millions of yam tubers and tons of other staple food for local consumption and exportation. However, surge in the number of herders migrating south and attacks on farmers, usually brutal, have impacted negatively on food production and livelihood in that state, more especially.<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_17442\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17442\" style=\"width: 226px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-17442\" src=\"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Isaac-and-Gabriel-respectively-both-lost-sight-in-the-attack.-226x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"226\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Isaac-and-Gabriel-respectively-both-lost-sight-in-the-attack.-226x300.jpg 226w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Isaac-and-Gabriel-respectively-both-lost-sight-in-the-attack.-768x1020.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Isaac-and-Gabriel-respectively-both-lost-sight-in-the-attack.-771x1024.jpg 771w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Isaac-and-Gabriel-respectively-both-lost-sight-in-the-attack.-83x110.jpg 83w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Isaac-and-Gabriel-respectively-both-lost-sight-in-the-attack.-316x420.jpg 316w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Isaac-and-Gabriel-respectively-both-lost-sight-in-the-attack.-324x430.jpg 324w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Isaac-and-Gabriel-respectively-both-lost-sight-in-the-attack..jpg 1742w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 226px) 100vw, 226px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-17442\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Isaac and Gabriel respectively both lost sight in the attack<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3230\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3231\"><u><\/u>\u00a0<u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3233\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3234\">One of the survivors of the Egba attack, <span class=\"aBn\" tabindex=\"0\" data-term=\"goog_1257184826\"><span class=\"aQJ\">Sunday<\/span><\/span> Andrew, for instance, lost 13 members of his family in the incident. Now, he barely can fend for himself as injuries he sustained have made traditional farming as practiced in the locality impossible for him. \u201cI didn\u2019t just lose most of my family members. I lost the ability to feed myself,\u201d the young farmer in his late 20s whose right hand has become mutilated lamented.<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3236\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3237\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3238\" \/> Same goes for Amodu Gabriel, 64 and Elaikwu Isaac, who also gave his age as 90. Both lost their sight, family members and the use of hands in the mayhem. They are ex-servicemen living in the community during the invasion and were only left for dead by the suspected mercenaries. Six other retired soldiers were murdered in that community and most of their houses reduced to graves where their remains were laid.<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3240\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3241\"><u><\/u>\u00a0<u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3243\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3244\">Fidelis Philip, who lost his father in the attack, also had his four-year-old son, Daniel, shot in the chest but survived on huge medical bills. As for survivors Isaac, a Lance Corporal and Gabriel, a Staff Sergeant, who left the service in 1976 and 2004 respectively, they both live on charity from distant relatives now. <u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3246\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3247\"><u><\/u>\u00a0<u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3249\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3250\">The aftermaths of herders\u2019 attacks in other parts of the country, especially at Nimbo, Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area, Enugu State, are equally bitter.\u00a0<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3252\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3254\" \/><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_17443\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17443\" style=\"width: 226px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-17443\" src=\"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Isaac-and-Gabriel-respectively-both-lost-sight-in-the-attack-226x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"226\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Isaac-and-Gabriel-respectively-both-lost-sight-in-the-attack-226x300.jpg 226w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Isaac-and-Gabriel-respectively-both-lost-sight-in-the-attack-768x1019.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Isaac-and-Gabriel-respectively-both-lost-sight-in-the-attack-772x1024.jpg 772w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Isaac-and-Gabriel-respectively-both-lost-sight-in-the-attack-83x110.jpg 83w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Isaac-and-Gabriel-respectively-both-lost-sight-in-the-attack-317x420.jpg 317w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Isaac-and-Gabriel-respectively-both-lost-sight-in-the-attack-324x430.jpg 324w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Isaac-and-Gabriel-respectively-both-lost-sight-in-the-attack.jpg 1540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 226px) 100vw, 226px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-17443\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Isaac and Gabriel respectively both lost sight in the attack<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3253\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3255\" \/> <u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3257\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3258\">The locality, near a University town, Nsukka, is adjudged the bread basket of the state but cultivation of maize, cassava, yam, pepper, garden egg and other crops are now only being done on farm plots around the home, each less than a quarter of a football pitch.<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3260\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3261\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3262\" \/> <br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3263\" \/> <u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3265\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3266\">\u201cThe farm plots can give the owners out as lazy lots but such is the size of farms the folks can now cultivate,\u201d said a middle aged man who simply identified himself as Peter. He said they could only make do with lands at the fringes of their village because Fulani herders had now taken over their vast fertile farmlands and over grazed them.<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3268\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3269\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3271\" \/> <\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3273\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3274\">\u201cFulani are still on our lands up till now grazing. They said our land is the only area their cattle can thrive\u201d said ruefully a Nimbo community leader, Thaddeus Okenwa. \u201cThe first person they killed, his heart was removed and they also cut the small fingers of the subsequent victims.\u201d<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3276\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3277\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3279\" \/> <\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3281\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3282\">Going deeper into the bush for farming on lands where cattle now graze freely has become a perilious adventure, according to Okenwa, giving reasons Nimbo people have now deserted the fertile farmlands they have tilled for generations.<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3284\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3285\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3287\" \/> <\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3289\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3290\">The case of Cyprian Eze (Not real name) also revealed the level of apprehension. The 43-year-old, now mentally deranged, lives in his parents\u2019 house with two younger siblings. The brother, Innocent, had also gone to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, for a repeat surgery on his amputated hand during the visit.<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3292\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3293\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3294\" \/> <br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3295\" \/> <u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3297\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3298\">Cyril declined talking to us. Findings, however, revealed the siblings had taken bullets and machete blows from the herdsmen during the invasion of Nimbo on April 25, 2016, in which 15 persons died for protesting the destruction of their crops by the animals.<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3300\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3302\" \/><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_17444\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17444\" style=\"width: 226px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-17444\" src=\"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Daniel-Philip-survived-gunshot-to-the-chest-at-age-4-226x300.jpg\" alt=\"Daniel Philip survived gunshot to the chest at age 4\" width=\"226\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Daniel-Philip-survived-gunshot-to-the-chest-at-age-4-226x300.jpg 226w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Daniel-Philip-survived-gunshot-to-the-chest-at-age-4-768x1020.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Daniel-Philip-survived-gunshot-to-the-chest-at-age-4-771x1024.jpg 771w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Daniel-Philip-survived-gunshot-to-the-chest-at-age-4-83x110.jpg 83w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Daniel-Philip-survived-gunshot-to-the-chest-at-age-4-316x420.jpg 316w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Daniel-Philip-survived-gunshot-to-the-chest-at-age-4-324x430.jpg 324w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Daniel-Philip-survived-gunshot-to-the-chest-at-age-4.jpg 1535w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 226px) 100vw, 226px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-17444\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Daniel Philip survived gunshot to the chest at age 4<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3301\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3303\" \/> <u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3305\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3306\">Pastor of the Christ Holy Church, John Orajiaka, on that day, escaped being burnt alive. The church Mission House was surrounded and doused with fuel by the attackers before being torched with Orajiaka and others as well as the Reverend\u2019s car in the compound. Their escape came when the attackers ran after Pastor Godson of the Anglican Church few metres away. Godson also dodged death by strands.<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3308\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3309\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3311\" \/> <\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3313\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3314\">The attacks have also incited some level of suspicion directed toward Adani, a neighboring community. Some in Nimbo believe it now harbours their assailants, considering the growing population of Fulani in the former.<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3316\"><b id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3317\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3318\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3320\" \/> <\/span><\/b><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3321\"><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3323\"><b id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3324\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3325\">Subtle Climate Shock<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3327\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3328\">Climate change, land degradation and expanding population go hand in hand in the northern part of Nigeria and they spur migration, says the Chairman, Pastoral Resolve Group, Alhaji Saleh. <u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3330\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3331\"><u><\/u>\u00a0<u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3333\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3334\">It is estimated that<\/span> <span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3335\">between 50 and 75 per cent of states of Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara are now being affected by varying degrees of desertification. Of the country\u2019s land area, about 580,841 km2, accounting for 63.83 per cent of total land is impinged on by desertification.<\/span><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3336\">\u00a0<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3338\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3339\"><u><\/u>\u00a0<u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3341\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3342\">Such occurrence affects Sule, a cattle rarer, for instance. He said he had just arrived Adani from Abuja few days back. He spoke of the prospect of bringing his father\u2019s herds from the north-central part of Nigeria, after inspection of the new area. He said, \u201cGrasses are scarce up north.\u201d His finding: \u201cThe lush grasses here are good and the story of destruction of crops by cows is untrue.\u201d<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3344\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3345\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3347\" \/> <\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3349\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3350\">An Adani chief, Ogbo Eric, however, noted that his community is having its dosage of the crisis because of the surge in herders\u2019 population. With mechanised farming, people in the town had been able to expand their farms in large hectares. \u201cBut problems with Fulani started few years back and changed all that,\u201d he said. \u201cThey leave cattle with underage children and allow the animals to destroy crops.\u201d<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3352\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_17445\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17445\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-17445\" src=\"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Nimbo-vegetation-farmers\u2019-and-herders\u2019-attraction-300x226.jpg\" alt=\"Nimbo vegetation, farmers\u2019 and herders\u2019 attraction\" width=\"300\" height=\"226\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Nimbo-vegetation-farmers\u2019-and-herders\u2019-attraction-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Nimbo-vegetation-farmers\u2019-and-herders\u2019-attraction-768x578.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Nimbo-vegetation-farmers\u2019-and-herders\u2019-attraction-1024x771.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Nimbo-vegetation-farmers\u2019-and-herders\u2019-attraction-110x83.jpg 110w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Nimbo-vegetation-farmers\u2019-and-herders\u2019-attraction-420x316.jpg 420w, https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Nimbo-vegetation-farmers\u2019-and-herders\u2019-attraction-571x430.jpg 571w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-17445\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nimbo vegetation, farmers\u2019 and herders\u2019 attraction<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3353\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3354\" \/> <br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3355\" \/> <u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3357\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3358\">Seven-year ostracism is what the custom prescribes as penalty for murder such as witnessed in Nimbo. However, the pastoralists temporarily moved out but suddenly resurfaced in large number at Adani. <u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3360\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3361\">This, in a way, alluded to climate-change-induced resource scarcity forcing the herders south. As Eric put it, \u201cFulani returned in large number with more destruction and their activities have made us cease being the food basket of Enugu State.\u201d <u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3363\"><b id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3364\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3365\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3366\" \/> <br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3367\" \/> <\/span><\/b><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3368\"><u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3370\"><b id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3371\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3372\">Climate Change, adaptation, insecurity\u2014an interplay<\/span><\/b><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3373\"><u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3375\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3376\"><u><\/u>\u00a0<u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3378\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3379\">According to Emeka Obioha of the Department of Social Anthropology and Sociology, National University of Lesotho, conflict is likely to continue due to the increasing down-south march of the Sahara desert through the Sahelian zone of the northeast Nigeria.<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3381\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3382\"><u><\/u>\u00a0<u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3384\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3385\">\u00a0And this has truly been opening up more agrarian land to grazing, \u201cwhich usually marks the beginning of hostile contact between the arable agriculturists and the pastoralists,\u201d according to the scholar.<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3387\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3388\"><u><\/u>\u00a0<u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3390\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3391\">Seriki Fulani of Uswani Local Government, Alhaji Tijani Musa, said Fulani, not being an exclusive group in most communities, are always in search of places safe for their animals. With that goal in mind, he believes the attacks in the communities may not be unconnected with the activities of armed robbers and rapists parading themselves as Fulani.<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3393\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3394\"><u><\/u>\u00a0<u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3396\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3397\">\u201cGrazing differs from season to season and Fulani can graze to any length on the land, especially during the dry season,\u201d explained Musa. He added that for some cow species, vegetation they can survive on is unavailable in the north, which is why herders always move them south.<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3399\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3400\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3402\" \/> <\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3404\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3405\">This is a claim recently corroborated in Kaduna by Momale. He believes adaptation of various breeds of cattle to a grazing environment is an important factor a cattle owner would want to consider as animals are adapted to the ecological environment. \u201cIf you take cattle from Bornu or Yobe to Benue, Plateau or Kaduna State, they will all die,\u201d he says, pointing at the suitability of humidity as a factor. <u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3407\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3408\"><u><\/u>\u00a0<u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3413\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3414\">\u201cPeople say pastoralists are moving from the north to the south; that is correct but not totally correct,\u201d he notes. In Daura and Jibiya, near Niger, there is over concentration of pastoralists, just like in the central plain of Hausaland, Dougua, Kano and Markarfi, according to him. <u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3416\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3417\">This has led to land degradation that pushes the herders from certain areas to concentrate in other areas. This further \u201cincreases insecurity that drives pastoralists from insecure areas to more secure areas for higher concentration,\u201d according to Momale.<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3419\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3420\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3422\" \/> <\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3424\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3425\">Places like Birnin Gwari and Kagara, from southern part of Zamfara are no-go-areas for pastoralists in the country, due to insecurity, he says, adding, \u201cIf you take your cattle there, bandits would rustle everything.\u201d <br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3426\" \/> <br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3427\" \/> <u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3429\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3430\">Terrorism is indeed a factor responsible for migration. But in Momale\u2019s estimate, only a very few proportion of pastoralists from southern parts of Adamawa and Borno and parts of Gombe moved down the valley into parts of Taraba State. The dominant proportion of pastoralists migrated into Cameroun and Niger. <br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3431\" \/> <br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3432\" \/> <u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3434\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3435\">Major movements to the southern Nigeria, he argues, could have been those occasioned by cattle rustling and banditry around Zamfara and parts of Kebbi, which affected thousands of pastoralists there. Herders in this group were essentially the only ones that moved to Kwara, Oyo, Ogun as well as Benin Republic and Togo. Yet, about 70 per cent of them are not in Nigeria. \u201cThey moved to Benin Republic instead,\u201d he adds.<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3437\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3438\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3440\" \/> <\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3442\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3443\">Alhaji Musa already said 80 per cent of the population of cattle in Nigeria is in the northern part.<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3445\"><b id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3446\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3447\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3449\" \/> <\/span><\/b><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3450\"><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3452\"><b id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3453\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3454\">Systemic failure breeding distrust<\/span><\/b><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3455\"><u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3457\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3458\">Like the subtle ill feeling of the Nimbo residents toward their Adani neighbours hosting the perceived assailants, the Agatu also believe that the callous actions of their Idoma tenants sparked Fulani\u2019s vengeance on Agatu communities.<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3460\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3461\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3462\" \/> Alternative narrative in Egba has it that some Idoma farmers living in Okoloko, an Agatu locality, had hired Tiv \u2018mercenaries\u2019 to defend them against the Fulani whose cattle were destroying crops. This resulted in the deaths of some herdsmen and their cows, which subsequently brought the wrath of the herdsmen.<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3464\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3465\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3466\" \/> Momale blames the escalation of conflicts on the failure of government, pastorals and farmers, saying governance helps manage the situation in Cameroun and Niger Republic where most of the migrating herders are now settled. He says the situation in Nigeria is one where \u201cpoliticians make unguarded statements that break down relationships and breed distrust.\u201d<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3468\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3469\"><u><\/u>\u00a0<u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3471\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3472\">Pastor Orajiaka, for instance, still wonders why the promises made to the church and the community by the government after the attack has not been fulfilled. The state government gave N5 million for the mass burial after the massacre.\u00a0<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3474\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3475\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3477\" \/> <\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3479\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3480\">He, however, added that the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, was among government officials who came to sympathise with the community. \u201cHe made a promise of N2 million to the church but we haven\u2019t received anything since then.\u201d A new pastor in church at the time, Orajiaka escaped with a pair of jeans and only N200 in the pocket. His other belongings, including certificates, were all burnt in the arson.<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3482\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3483\"><u><\/u>\u00a0<u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3485\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3486\">The traditional ruler of Umohie Autonomous Community, Akaeze, in Ivo Local Government of Ebonyi State, HRH Eze Omazi Ibo Ubani, also lamented the destruction of crops valued at about N20 million in his domain. He described 2017 as the period the community had its worst experience of destruction as he also decried government intervention in the conflict. \u201cWe wrote to the government for assistance but nothing has come,\u201d said Eze Ubani.<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3488\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3489\"><u><\/u>\u00a0<u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3491\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3492\">After the community petitioned the local government, the matter was escalated to the state level and subsequently, to the State Security Service (SSS).<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3494\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3495\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3496\" \/> The state commissioner of police would later invite the Eze before being referred to the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS). The government resolved that farmers should adopt the policy of One Man One Hectare so as to cede some land for grazing. \u201cOur people rejected that policy, preferring to do One Man 10 Hectares instead,\u201d said Eze. \u201cWe farm extensively.\u201d<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3498\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3499\"><br id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3500\" \/> Herdsmen attacks started making headlines in July 2012, after Senator Gyang Dantong and the Majority Leader of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Gyang Fulani, were murdered by suspected Fulani gunmen.\u00a0<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3502\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3503\">The duo were killed at Maseh Village in Riyom\u00a0 Local Government while attending the mass burial of over 50 persons also killed by Fulani herdsmen in villages of Barkin Ladi and Riyom Local Governments.<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3506\"><span id=\"m_434131627399534753yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1505902647616_3507\"><u><\/u>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/p><!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Herders and farmers now share a fragile co-existence in Nigeria, further underscoring the fact that man needs the environment and the latter doesn\u2019t need him. Tayo Olanipekun writes that effects of Climate Change on rural dwellers are quite death-dealing. He also focuses on how soil degradation brought death, sorrow and distrust. &nbsp; Attacks on farmers &hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":17440,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,65],"tags":[2784,1555,2783,2782,2781,160,1456],"coauthors":[2393],"class_list":["post-17439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-crime","category-feature","tag-cattle","tag-farmers","tag-farmland","tag-fulani-gunmen","tag-herders","tag-nigeria","tag-plateau-state"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v18.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Climate Shock: How Soil Degradation Brought Nigeria Deaths, Sorrow, Distrust - National Wire<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Herders and farmers now share a fragile co-existence in Nigeria, further underscoring the fact that man needs the environment and the latter doesn\u2019t need\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/climate-shock-soil-degradation-brought-nigeria-deaths-sorrow-distrust-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Climate Shock: How Soil Degradation Brought Nigeria Deaths, Sorrow, Distrust - National Wire\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Herders and farmers now share a fragile co-existence in Nigeria, further underscoring the fact that man needs the environment and the latter doesn\u2019t need\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/climate-shock-soil-degradation-brought-nigeria-deaths-sorrow-distrust-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"National Wire\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-09-20T22:38:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Christ-Living-Church-Mission-House-Nimbo-torched-on-April-25-2016.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1596\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1201\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dayo Emmanuel\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/\",\"name\":\"National Wire\",\"description\":\"About Nigerians, Nigerian Business and Other Stories\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/climate-shock-soil-degradation-brought-nigeria-deaths-sorrow-distrust-2\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Christ-Living-Church-Mission-House-Nimbo-torched-on-April-25-2016.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Christ-Living-Church-Mission-House-Nimbo-torched-on-April-25-2016.jpg\",\"width\":1596,\"height\":1201,\"caption\":\"Exif_JPEG_420\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/climate-shock-soil-degradation-brought-nigeria-deaths-sorrow-distrust-2\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/climate-shock-soil-degradation-brought-nigeria-deaths-sorrow-distrust-2\/\",\"name\":\"Climate Shock: How Soil Degradation Brought Nigeria Deaths, Sorrow, Distrust - 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