Structural Drivers of Farmer–Herder Conflict in Katsina State, Nigeria: Context, Dynamics, And Implications for State Response

• Gideon Ogonna Ibeakuzie

  MDM,Center for Peace Building and Development Studies, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria; and PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research & Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom.

  Author

• Celestine Emeka Ekwuluo

  MHRS,Center for Peace Building and Development Studies, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria; and PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research & Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom.

  Author

  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0153-5475

• Adaeze Janice Erondu

  MIR,Department of Political Science, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria; and PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research & Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom.

  Author

• Kennedy Oberhiri Obohwemu

  PhD,Department of Interdisciplinary Research& Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom.

  Author

  https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5175-1179

• Eddy Eidenehi Esezobor

  PhD,Department of Management Studies, Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM), Murcia, Spain; and PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom

  Author

  https://orcid.org/0009-0006-9986-5734

• Oluwafemi Emmanuel Ooju

  MSc,World Health Organization, Abuja, Nigeria; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research & Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom

  Author

  https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4716-5200

• Festus Ituah

  PhD,School of Health and Sports Science, Regent College, London, United Kingdom; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research & Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom

  Author

  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1292-0678

• Oladipo Vincent Akinmade

  MPH,Digital Health and Rights Project (Center for Interdisciplinary Methodologies, CIM), University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research & Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom

  Author

  https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5053-2716

• Daniel Obande Haruna

  MSc,Department of Psychology, St. Mary’s University, London, United Kingdom; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research & Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom

  Author

  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8004-7794

• Solomon Atuman

  MPH,FHI 360; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research & Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom

  Author

• Perpetual Ogechukwu Nwankwo

  PhD,School of Public Health, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research& Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom.

  Author

• Jennifer Adaeze Chukwu

  PhD,World Health Organization, United Nations House, Abuja, Nigeria; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research& Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom

  Author

  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1003-4664

• Abba Sadiq Usman

  MScPH,Nutrition and Health Department, Action Against Hunger, Maiduguri Field Office, Nigeria; and Department ofInterdisciplinary Studies & Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom

  Author

• Jerry Soni

  MPH,United Nations World Food Programme, Damascus, Syria; and Department of InterdisciplinaryResearch & Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom.

  Author

• Obioma Chidumaga Aririsukwu

  MBBS,Department of Medicine, St. Francis Medical Center, Abuja, Nigeria; and Department of InterdisciplinaryResearch & Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom.

  Author

Farmer–herder conflict has become a defining feature of rural insecurity in northern Nigeria, shaping everyday life in ways that undermine livelihoods, weaken food systems, and strain long‑standing social relations. This paper offers a detailed examinationof the structural and contextual forces driving conflict in Katsina State, drawing directly on the conceptual foundations of the wider research. The analysis positions the conflict within a set of interlocking pressures that include rapid population growth, intensifying environmental stress, expanding land‑use competition, and persistent governance challenges. These pressures have altered the conditions under which farming and pastoral communities interact, particularly as historical grazing arrangements lose credibility, institutional enforcement becomes inconsistent, and mobility patterns shift in response to ecological and security constraints.The paper argues that farmer–herder conflict in Katsina cannot be understood as a series of isolated disputes or as a simple struggle over scarce resources. Instead, it reflects deeper forms of structural vulnerability that shape how communities perceive risk, negotiate access, and respond to threats. Institutional fragility, declining trust in state authority, andthe erosion of customary mechanisms further compound these pressures, creating an environment in which minor disputes can escalate rapidly. By foregrounding these structural dynamics, the paper challenges narrow, security‑led interpretations and highlights the need for integrated, preventive approaches that recognise the social, environmental, and governance dimensions of rural conflict.The contribution of the paper lies in its grounded account of how local conditions in KatsinaState shape conflict trajectories and influence the prospects for effective state engagement. The analysis establishes a conceptual platform for subsequent papers that investigate socioeconomic determinants and evaluate the performance of specific intervention mechanisms. In doing so, it supports a more comprehensive understanding of how farmer–herder conflict evolves and how policy responses might be designed to address its underlying drivers.

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Copyright (c) 2026 Ibeakuzie, Jerry Soni, Abba Sadiq Usman, Jennifer Adaeze Chukwu, Perpetual Ogechukwu Nwankwo, Solomon Atuman, Daniel Obande Haruna, Oladipo Vincent Akinmade, Festus Ituah, Oluwafemi Emmanuel Ooju, Eddy Eidenehi Esezobor, Kennedy Oberhiri Obohwemu, Adaeze Janice Erondu, Celestine Emeka Ekwuluo, Obioma Chidumaga Aririsukwu (Author)

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