Deadly herdsmen attacks in Akwaya…: Scholar, Dr Che Roger, calls for diplomatic talks with Nigerian authorities.

The scholar made the recommendation following a recent deadly attack in Akwaya which resulted in deaths. The attack was reportedly carried out by herdsmen said to have crossed into Akwaya Subdivision from neighbouring Nigeria.

In his policy brief, Dr Che Roger was categorical that developments currently unfolding in Menchum Valley and Akwaya Subdivisions can no longer be regarded as tolerable disturbances within the familiar pattern of farmer-grazer tensions. 

He said what is being witnessed is a profound breakdown of order, marked by destruction, displacement, fear, and most tragically, the loss of human life. 

Such circumstances, he continued, call not for routine commentary, but for firm, immediate and unequivocal action.

“It is important to underscore that this crisis did not arise abruptly.  Rather, it is the cumulative outcome of a long-standing problem that has not received the level of corrective intervention it demands,” he said.

He regretted that: “When an issue is recurrent, widely acknowledged, and yet insufficiently addressed, its escalation is not accidental, it is inevitable. The present situation is therefore less a surprise than it is the predictable consequence of sustained ephemeral solutions. At the centre of this crisis are farmers whose livelihoods form an essential pillar of local economies and contribute meaningfully to national food security”.

“Within a matter of hours, farms representing years of labour and investment are being destroyed. These are not isolated or negligible losses; they strike at the very survival of households and communities, eroding both economic stability and social confidence,” he also mentioned.

Dr Che Chu said also concerning is the growing indication that a number of those involved are foreign graziers, reportedly originating from across the Nigerian border, operating within Cameroonian territory with troubling boldness. 

“If substantiated, this introduces a dimension that extends beyond local conflict into questions of border management, national sovereignty and state authority. Such a development cannot be dismissed lightly.  It suggests not only weaknesses in border control mechanisms but also a diminished perception of deterrence,” he said, noting that: “Where infractions persist without visible and consistent consequences, they gradually lose their character as risks and instead become normalized practices”.

He said the persistence of the situation points, in part, to a deficit in the consistent enforcement of order. The presence of law, he continued, is not sufficient in itself; its effectiveness lies in its visibility and predictability. 

“Where enforcement appears friendly and soft, it creates space for lawlessness to take root. Understandably, this has given rise to mounting frustration among affected population. Frustration not only with material losses but with a perceived erosion of protection. The question increasingly being asked is both direct and legitimate: how long can such a situation endure without decisive intervention?” he questioned.

The cross-border implications of the crisis, he said, further elevate its seriousness. 

“This is no longer a matter that can be adequately addressed through routine administrative measures alone. It touches directly on issues of internal security, territorial integrity and regional responsibility. As such, it demands a response that is both firm within national borders and strategic in its external engagements,” he added.

Need for urgent solutions

In proffering solutions to the current security challenges, Dr Che Chu maintained that several actions present themselves as necessary rather than optional. 

He has insisted that “there must be a prompt and substantial deployment of disciplined, well-equipped security forces to the affected localities”.

Their mandate, he said, must be clearly defined including to restore order, safeguard lives and prevent further destruction. Domestically, he said, the consistent application of the law remains indispensable. 

Acts of destruction, violence and unlawful encroachment, he pointed, must attract swift and proportionate sanctions. 

“Without such consistency, any broader effort at resolution risks losing credibility,” he concluded.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3762 of Thursday April 16, 2026