FULANI HERDSMEN SETTLEMENT IN SOUTHWEST NIGERIA AND INSECURITY IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT This paper examined Fulani herdsmen settlement in the Southwest region of Nigeria and insecurity problems. Insecurity has been described as the absence of peace in a country and its continuous absence due to impacts of organized crime and terrorism. In Southwest Nigeria, Fulani the activities of Fulani’s herdsmen problem had led to the loss of lives, destruction of valuable properties as well as crops, there affecting negatively the socio-economic development of the region. Its objectives include examining the drivers of violence and insecurity in Southwest Nigeria; to examine the impacts of the insecurity in the Southwest region of Nigeria and proffering solutions to this social aberration in the Southwest region of Nigeria. The study was anchored on the theory of Collective Violence and structural functionalism theory. Secondary sources of data such as journals, electronic media, books, newspapers were widely used to analyze the study. Based on the findings, the following recommendations were made; government should ensure that all Fulani herdsmen who illegally acquired arms and ammunitions are arrested and prosecuted accordingly. Government should also strengthen police capacity to curb rustling and banditry.  In the interim, Vigilante and Local security groups should be equipped with a view to combating incessant Fulani Herdsmen. Finally, community policing should be introduced so that states and local authorities can be accountable for the security of the people. The federal government should run an all-inclusive government where the principle of federal character is upheld.   Key Words: Herdsmen, Security, Insecurity, Settlement, Terroris