ABSTRACT
The prevalence of conflict between farmers and herders in Taraba State, Nigeria, is a serious peril that hampers the socio-economic and political development of the region. It is on this premise that this study explored the traditional dispute resolution strategies of selected ethnic groups in Taraba State, and examined their applicability in effectively managing the farmers-herders conflicts in the state. The main objective of the study is to determine how these traditional dispute resolution strategies can be harnessed and mainstreamed into overall policy framework for mitigating farmers-herders crisis in Taraba State. The population of the study comprised the various ethnic groups in Taraba State. The study adopted a qualitative approach where an in-depth interview was used. The findings of the study revealed that dialogue, peace advocacy campaigns, negotiation and security situation reports are the core and common extant traditional dispute resolution strategies used in managing conflict among ethnic groups in Taraba State. It was also found that the incorporation of traditional dispute resolution strategies in addressing the farmers-herders conflict has the potency to attenuate or mitigate the incessant conflict between farmers and herders. Therefore, the study recommends among other things the need for traditional rulers to be granted autonomy to partake fully in the act of governance.
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