A report has recommended that the challenge of cattle rustling should be treated as a priority in addressing the problems of insecurity and terrorism in Nigeria.
The report, published in January 2023 by Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) identified cattle rustling as a significant contributor to the rising insecurity in the country’s Northern region.
“Addressing cattle rustling should be a priority in mitigating insecurity and instability in Nigeria. Effective responses to cattle rustling and its destabilising impacts at local, national and regional levels demand an in-depth understanding of the factors that drive it in different contexts, as well as the supply chains and networks involved in the market,” the report said.
The report titled “Driving destruction:Cattle rustling and instability in Nigeria” also noted that cattle rustling paved the way for farmer-herder conflicts and deserved attention as it was causing more instability than armed robbery or drug trafficking, as several armed groups terrorising the North had been formed in response to it.
“It has also repeatedly operated as a significant source of financing for armed groups, including regional insurgent groups operating in north-eastern Nigeria and northern and central Mali; cattle rustling is also interwoven with longstanding tensions between ethnicities, amplifying these and catalysing further conflict,” the report noted.
Describing it as an illicit economy enriching conflict actors, the report noted that cattle rustling stimulates the demand for arms, thereby creating a criminal network of armed groups across the continent.
The report also expressed concern that terrorism and banditry in Nigeria might spread beyond the North, as cattle rustling was moving towards Southern Nigeria and would escalate, if not adequately addressed.
Beyond focusing on terrorists and bandits alone, the report also recommended that others involved in the cattle rustling supply chain be targeted by law enforcement agencies to enhance the successful eradication of insecurity in Nigeria.
“In order to target the transporters, middlemen and buyers facilitating the movement and resale of stolen cattle, government should engage motor-park unions, cattle dealers associations and commercial truck and lorry drivers to identify those who conduct businesses with cattle rustlers,” the report further noted.
Kinsgley Madueke is the Nigeria Research Coordinator for the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime.
*Update: This story was edited for proper attribution.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via vopara@icirnigeria.org or @ije_le on Twitter.