Nigeria’s Interior Minister Blames Social Media For Escalating Fulani Herdsmen Clashes

Nigeria’s Interior Minister has blamed social media for escalating herdsmen/farmers clashes across the country.

Clashes between herdsmen and their host communities (mainly farmers) have caused the deaths of hundreds of people in the past year.

The Interior Minister, Abdulrahman Dambazau, said the crises between herdsmen and farmers in Nigeria constitute a threat to the peaceful co-existence of the country.

Speaking during an inaugural meeting for stakeholders on the conflict in Abuja, PREMIUMTIMES reports that Mr. Dambazau said the effects of the conflicts have been loss of lives, dislocation of people and communities, as well as the destruction of socio-economic activity.

He blamed social media for the way the crisis is viewed by Nigerians.

“The rise of the social media has given scope to the non-traditional media outlets which has seen interest groups frame stories surrounding the conflict in ways that tend to undermine the cooperate existence of Nigeria,” he said.

Mr. Dambazau said the meeting, which hopes to bring together ethnic, religious, geopolitical, civil societies and other concerned parties, will after its inauguration on Thursday serve as a basis for deciding on the membership of subsequent stakeholders meeting on the conflict.

“Although the problem is currently within the Niger-Benue river basin regions of the country, it has a wider geographical implication affecting the West and even Central Africa.