By Abbas Nazil
Climate change is worsening insecurity in northern Nigeria by accelerating the loss of grazing land, water resources, and traditional livelihoods, forcing thousands of pastoralists and farming communities into increased competition over dwindling natural resources.
Experts say rising temperatures, desertification, prolonged droughts, and the shrinking of major water sources have created conditions that contribute to displacement, poverty, and conflicts across parts of the region.
The situation has left many pastoralists struggling to survive as they move in search of pasture and water for their livestock, exposing them to attacks by bandits, kidnappers, and tensions with farming communities.
An elderly pastoralist, Gidado Isyaku, who spoke from the outskirts of Shanono Local Government Area of Kano State, said the challenges facing herders have made traditional migration routes increasingly dangerous.
He explained that pastoralists who once moved freely across northern Nigeria and neighbouring countries in search of grazing areas now face insecurity and suspicion from communities they encounter.
Gidado said many herders would prefer to remain in their communities if adequate grazing land and water resources were available for their livestock.
Environmental experts and security analysts described climate change as a “threat multiplier” that worsens existing social and economic challenges rather than directly causing conflict.
Climate change expert, Professor Aliyu Baba Nabegu, said environmental pressures have become one of the major security challenges of the 21st century because they increase competition for limited resources.
He explained that drought, desertification, and the decline of Lake Chad have displaced pastoralists, fishermen, and farmers who depended on natural resources for survival.
According to him, many fishermen lost their livelihoods after water bodies disappeared, while farmers abandoned cultivation when rivers and streams used for irrigation dried up.
He warned that when people lose their sources of income and survival, some become vulnerable to criminal activities.
Nabegu noted that climate challenges have also encouraged governments to strengthen cooperation, improve early warning systems, invest in renewable energy, and promote climate-smart agriculture.
He highlighted the use of solar-powered irrigation systems and improved water management as examples of adaptation measures that could reduce pressure on natural resources.
However, retired security expert, Major General Gambo Ahmed Mai Adua, said climate change should not be considered the only cause of insecurity in Nigeria.
He identified poverty, instability in neighbouring countries, and the spread of illegal weapons as additional factors that have worsened security challenges.
Mai Adua explained that the drying up of Lake Chad and other water sources forced thousands of herders to migrate, increasing disputes between farmers and pastoralists.
He added that the proliferation of weapons from conflict zones such as Libya transformed local resource disputes into more deadly conflicts involving banditry, kidnapping, and cattle rustling.
Research has also linked climate change with increasing pressure on land and water resources in Nigeria.
A study by researchers from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, found that changing weather patterns, rising temperatures, and desertification have intensified natural resource conflicts and contributed to food insecurity.
Experts stressed that addressing insecurity linked to climate change requires investment in environmental restoration, sustainable agriculture, water resource management, poverty reduction, climate adaptation programmes, and stronger regional security cooperation.
For pastoralists like Gidado, the solution remains access to sufficient grazing land and water resources that would allow communities to maintain their livelihoods without constant movement or exposure to danger.
