Ibadan: The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Oyo State Command, said the command recorded no fewer than 100 cases of farmers-herders clashes monthly in the state.
The command spokesman, Mr Samuel Opebiyi, disclosed this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Ibadan.
Opebiyi said that some of the issues resulting from the farmers-herders clashes in the state included grazing on farmland and cattle poisoning.
He said the Agro-Rangers, an important arm of the NSCDC, has recorded many successes in preventing farmers-herders clashes from escalating into serious security matters.
“Some of these issues have been resolved amicably through the adoption of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) for peaceful coexistence.
“You know the objective of the government in agriculture, in ensuring food security, cannot be achieved without peace between farmers and herders.
“So, we make sure we have an environment in which farmers and herders can co-exist with their farming activities and cattle rearing,” he said.
Opebiyi said that each region of the state has its peculiar security challenges, adding that clashes usually happen in Oluyole, Oke-Ogun, and Ibarapa axes of the state.
The command spokesman admitted that the NSCDC Agro-Rangers personnel could not spread to some communities as expected due to inadequate manpower.
“We are seriously working in that regard to strengthen them in the future in order to adequately address the issue of farmers-herders clashes in the state,” he said.
He said the presence of NSCDC Agro-Rangers in some communities in Oyo State has helped curb farmers-herders clashes and other related crimes in the state.