ABUJA, NIGERIA — Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike is facing widespread criticism over his sudden policy shift regarding cattle grazing, with residents accusing him of backing down from his initial bold threats to permanently banish cows from the streets of Abuja [5 Jun 2026].
Shortly after his appointment, Wike made headlines by declaring a zero-tolerance policy against open grazing within the city center, promising to clean up the capital. However, his recent statements have taken a defensive tone, with the minister now characterizing the presence of livestock on the city’s main expressways as a sensitive national security issue that requires extreme caution.
The Initial Ultimatum: Banning Cows from Abuja
Upon taking office, Minister Wike explicitly targeted the pastoralists who routinely move large herds of cattle through affluent residential districts, government secretariats, and commercial centers in Abuja. He regionalized that open grazing defaced the master plan of the federal capital and created significant safety hazards for commuters.
“We cannot allow cows to spoil the city,” Wike stated during his initial press briefings, warning herd owners that the administration would deploy enforcement teams to impound stray livestock and arrest herders. The declaration was widely celebrated by Abuja residents who had long complained about traffic chaos and sanitation challenges caused by free-roaming cattle.
The Policy Retreat: Citing National Security Caution
Despite his initial combative posture, the presence of cattle along major thoroughfares—including the multi-lane airport road and the central business district—has continued unabated. When pressed by journalists and civic groups regarding the lack of enforcement, Wike clarified that a heavy-handed crackdown could trigger severe regional and ethnic crises.
The minister explained that the cattle grazing dilemma cannot be treated as a simple municipal sanitation issue. He noted that because livestock ownership is tied to complex cultural, regional, and economic networks, forcing a sudden, aggressive eviction could worsen existing friction between the state apparatus and pastoralist associations. He maintained that the administration must move with caution to avoid sparking retaliatory security incidents within the territory.
The Broader Crisis: Farmer-Herder Clashes and Scorched-Earth Devastation
Wike’s sudden political retreat cannot be separated from the bloody reality of the farmer-herder conflict that has ravaged regional belts across Nigeria. For over a decade, competition for land, water, and grazing routes has escalated into violent clashes, resulting in mass killings and the total dislocation of rural communities.
- Mass Killings and Dislocation: In states across the Middle Belt, North-Central, and parts of the South, agrarian villages have been subjected to midnight raids, arson, and massacres. The violence has transformed booming agricultural hubs into ghost towns.
- The Influx into IDP Camps: The destruction of communities has triggered a massive humanitarian emergency, forcing millions of displaced farmers into poorly maintained Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. In states like Benue, the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration under Governor Hyacinth Alia has faced severe backlash for failing to secure rural communities, leaving displaced citizens languishing in crowded, squalid shelters while attempting to distribute subsidized fertilizer to farmers who have been permanently chased off their lands.
- The Forest Annexation Threat: The impunity has escalated to the point where armed herders are actively seizing geographic assets. Reports have surfaced showing that armed pastoralists have captured the Adiga Forest between Benue’s Ado and Okpokwu local government areas, defiantly renaming the zone “Sambisa Forest.”
Public Cynicism and Accusations of Fear
Wike’s sudden caution has been met with deep skepticism across public spaces, especially given his usual reputation for aggressive political maneuvering. Critics have pointed out a sharp contrast in how the FCT administration handles different types of urban infractions:
- Selective Enforcement: While the minister has deployed heavy machinery to demolish local markets, impound commercial motorcycles, and clear low-income settlements without hesitation, his administration appears completely paralyzed when confronting pastoralists.
- The Contrast with Direct Threats: Human rights activists note that Wike has historically used highly confrontational language against political opponents—such as his recent threats to “put fire” in opposition states like Oyo—making his sudden call for peaceful caution regarding cattle herders appear as an admission of political fear.
- The Surrounding Security Vacuum: The policy retreat occurs at a highly unstable moment for the capital. Only yesterday, heavily armed Fulani terrorists invaded the Paze community in the Byazhin area of Kubwa, killing a local vigilante and abducting a Christian pastor alongside three residents.
With satellite towns in the Bwari Area Council facing a dangerous resurgence of mass kidnappings, and neighboring Middle Belt states witnessing armed herdsmen annexing entire forests, Abuja residents maintain that the minister’s refusal to enforce the grazing ban reflects a deeper collapse of internal state authority. Civic coalitions are warning that treating basic urban laws as sensitive national security anomalies only emboldens non-state actors to violate the laws of the capital with total impunity.
