On October 31 last year, the United States designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) due to ongoing terrorist attacks on civilians. Following this, President Donald Trump instructed Congressman Riley Moore and House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole to investigate the security challenges in Nigeria.
According to The Vanguard, Moore had previously conducted a fact-finding mission, meeting victims and visiting Internally Displaced Persons camps in Benue State.
The panel’s report, submitted to the President, recommended measures to reduce violence, including the removal of armed Fulani militias from confiscated farmlands and enabling displaced communities to return home. It also proposed technical support for demobilisation, disarmament, and reintegration programs, while allowing farmers to exercise legitimate self-defence.
Farmers, many of whom have suffered casualties in clashes with herders, welcomed the recommendations, although Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution does not explicitly grant citizens the right to bear arms, and firearm possession is strictly regulated under the Firearms Act.
Civil society groups, including the Middle Belt Forum and Mzough U Tiv Worldwide, expressed support for the US proposal, calling it timely in light of repeated attacks on rural communities. The MBF’s national president, Bitrus Pogu, noted that the organisation has long advocated for legal measures enabling Nigerians to defend themselves amid rising insecurity.
Similarly, the former South East chairman of the Cassava Producers Association of Nigeria and traditional ruler of Oriendu Autonomous Community in Umuahia North, Philip Ajomuiwe, endorsed the US recommendation, describing it as timely and necessary given repeated attacks on farmers and the destruction of farmlands without accountability.
He said, “It is a very welcome recommendation. Farmers are being kidnapped, killed and their farms destroyed by criminal herdsmen who simply walk away. If this continues, how do we feed the nation?
“I had more than five hectares of cassava worth over N5m at Ndiambe in Ozuitem. The herders drove their cattle into my farm and uprooted everything. That single attack wiped out my entire investment.
“I reported to the then Commissioner of Police. His men came, saw the destruction and were visibly unhappy. They even wrote to the government, but nothing was done to the herders.
He suggested that permitting licensed farmers and community vigilante groups to carry arms, similar to practices in some developed countries, could serve as a strong deterrent against attacks and help restore confidence among rural producers.
He argued that with proper gun licensing, farmers would feel safer tending their farms, and communities could organise their vigilante groups to provide local protection.
He noted that, if legally empowered to defend themselves, residents have the capacity to resist bandits effectively. Without such measures, he warned, the nation’s food security could continue to face serious risks.