Abstract: Cattle rustling has grown in dimension and viciousness particularly in the Northern part of Nigeria which Zamfara state is categorized as one of the flash points. The devastating effects of the phenomenon of cattle rustling call for strategies towards addressing it. This study examined the management strategies towards addressing the challenges of cattle rustling in Zamfara state, Nigeria. A total of 390 copies of questionnaire were administered to the respondents using multi-stage sampling. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency count, percentages and mean scores. The study reveals that cattle rustling occurred on a monthly basis (55.7%), rustling occurs mostly at the midnight and usually lasts for more than two hours (37.5%). It was found that about 57% of the respondents reported that farming activities are affected by cattle rustling followed by 24% who reported that cattle rearing were affected. The most adopted cattle rustling management strategies are reporting of suspected cattle rustlers to the village head and people running to safer places for refuge during cattle rustling attacks with mean scores of 4.10 and 3.90 respectively. The study recommended that security agencies in collaboration with local vigilantes should be drafted effectively to the cattle rustling affected communities particularly at night hours and that the Nigeria Agricultural Insurance Company (NAIC) and other similar institutions should provide enabling platforms for the people to insure their cattle against possible theft and loss of income.
Key words: Cattle rustling, Management strategies, Pastoralism