President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has instructed Vice President Kashim Shettima to convene a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting focused exclusively on addressing ranching, in a bid to tackle the persistent and often deadly clashes between farmers and herders across Nigeria.

The directive comes amid escalating tensions in several states and is part of efforts to fast-track a sustainable solution to the country’s long-standing open-grazing crisis. No official date has yet been announced for the NEC gathering.

Earlier, Tinubu also directed the National Security Adviser (NSA) to immediately train, arm, and deploy additional forest guards nationwide to strengthen security responses to rising incidents of kidnapping, banditry, and terrorism.

“We face challenges here and there of kidnapping and terrorism. We need all the forces we can utilize. We need to protect our people,” the President said.

The move signals the administration’s commitment to both security and agricultural stability, linking policy coordination at the highest levels to on-the-ground measures aimed at curbing violence.