The spate of violent clashes between nomadic pastoralists and agrarian communities in Nigeria raises a number of legal and policy questions that had been long overlooked. Issues arising from the phenomenon range from questions over constitutionally guaranteed rights such as the right to own property, to questions over the inadequacies of Nigeria’s security apparatus as well as calls for land use reforms. Additionally, due to the groups affected and the scale of casualties, the topic has become a political molten magma. The constant conflicts between nomadic pastoralists who are majorly from the Fulani ethnic group, and agrarian communities from other parts of the country have reached unprecedented levels leading to accusations of coordinated attempts at land grab, ethnic cleansing, jihad and insurgency, threatening the country’s security and stability in the process. Fiscally, the destruction of lives and property and the state of insecurity emanating from the clashes stood at $16 billion in potential revenue as at 2018. In no small measure have these clashes been precipitated by climate change and the consequent drought in the Sahara region. This paper analyses the role of the Nigerian state in balancing the interests of affected groups in the clashes and promoting development. At its core, it seeks to identify legal and policy gaps that require filling to put a definite end to the lingering crisis.

尼日利亚游牧民和农业社区之间一连串的暴力冲突引发了一些长期以来被忽视的法律和政策问题。由这种现象引起的问题范围广泛，从宪法保障的权利（如拥有财产权）到尼日利亚安全机构不足的问题以及土地使用改革的呼吁。此外，由于受影响的群体和伤亡规模，该话题已成为政治熔岩。主要来自富拉尼族的游牧民与来自该国其他地区的农业社区之间不断发生冲突，冲突达到前所未有的程度，导致有人指责协调企图掠夺土地、种族清洗、圣战和叛乱，在此过程中威胁到国家的安全与稳定。在财政上，截至 2018 年，冲突造成的生命和财产破坏以及不安全状况的潜在收入为 160 亿美元。这些冲突在很大程度上是由气候变化和随之而来的撒哈拉地区干旱造成的。本文分析了尼日利亚政府在平衡冲突中受影响群体的利益和促进发展方面的作用。它的核心是找出需要填补的法律和政策空白，以明确结束挥之不去的危机。这些冲突在很大程度上是由气候变化和随之而来的撒哈拉地区干旱造成的。本文分析了尼日利亚政府在平衡冲突中受影响群体的利益和促进发展方面的作用。它的核心是找出需要填补的法律和政策空白，以明确结束挥之不去的危机。这些冲突在很大程度上是由气候变化和随之而来的撒哈拉地区干旱造成的。本文分析了尼日利亚政府在平衡冲突中受影响群体的利益和促进发展方面的作用。它的核心是找出需要填补的法律和政策空白，以明确结束挥之不去的危机。