By Sam Amadi
Introduction
A few weeks ago, the Nigerian Government faced a volatile situation that threatened to swell into a major national conflict. The crisis has many constitutional implications. The main issue is the continuing criminality and violence, of the Fulani herders. For many years, conflicts between herders and famers and, sometimes, outright attack by Fulani herdsmen on farming communities across Nigeria, have been a major cause of insecurity in the country. These violent attacks and other forms of criminality, like kidnapping and banditry, result in huge economic losses. The nation loses an estimated N300 billion from this conflict. But, the graver result of violence by Fulani herdsmen, is how much it is weakening national unity and encouraging ethnic profiling, hate speeches and deterioration of State autonomy. The Nigerian State has come under much strain, especially since the Buhari administration, for failure to respond to the terrorism and criminality of Fulani herdsmen in the logic of rule of law. Because the Federal Government has been thoroughly inefficient and manifestly biased in controlling the criminality of Fulani herdsmen, many State Governors are taking extreme actions to manage the crisis. One such action is the quit notice Ondo Government issued to Fulani herdsmen, to leave the forests of the State. This notice has generated much controversy, and even threatened to become a matter of national crisis. The Presidency that has been generally slow to respond to these criminalities, quickly jumped into the fray and countered Ondo State Government.