From Mu’awiya Bala Idris, Katsina
The Yusuf Bala Usman Institute has called on the Federal Government to establish a tri-state security task force to tackle the insecurity affecting North-Western states.
This formed part of the recommendations following the conclusion of a research project on land governance, ecology, and insecurity carried out in Bauchi, Jigawa, Katsina, and Kaduna States.
The research was conducted by the Institute in collaboration with UK International Development, SPRING, and TETRA Tech International Development.
In its recommendations at a stakeholders’ meeting attended by security agents, government officials, traditional rulers, non-governmental organizations, and people from insecurity-affected areas, the Institute stated that the proposed task force should focus its operations on Runka Forest, located in Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State.
“This forest spans three states and serves as a bandits’ hideout where livestock theft and kidnapping occur,” the Institute said.
It further noted that the Runka Forest Reserve, which stretches across Katsina and Zamfara States and connects to Kamuku National Park in Kaduna State, serves as a major hideout facilitating livestock theft and kidnapping for ransom.
The Institute explained that the nature of the forest makes security response along state boundaries difficult, emphasizing the need for cooperation among the affected states.
In its seven-point recommendations, the Institute also called on state governments to strengthen community-based dialogue mechanisms to address insecurity.
It added that the Jibia Local Government community-led conflict resolution model and its 12-point agreement in Katsina State could be replicated in other conflict-affected local government areas across Northern Nigeria.
The Institute’s research further identified illegal land seizure and encroachment by politicians and government officials as a major root cause of conflicts between farmers and Fulani herders, which has escalated into broader insecurity challenges.
It stated that illegal land acquisition increases poverty and hunger, leaving many without land for farming.
The Institute therefore called for reforms to the 1978 Land Use Act to reduce the powers of politicians, including state governors, to arbitrarily seize land and allocate forest reserves unlawfully.
It also urged the government to ensure that the land rights of smallholder farmers and pastoralists are adequately protected.
