Edo Govt. bans night grazing to avert Herdsmen/Farmers clash

By Joy Odigie
The Edo State Government has banned night grazing in the state to avert further herdsmen/farmers clashes.

The ban also prohibits the carrying of guns by herdsmen while taking care of their herds.

Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo, who announced this on Thursday in Benin, said that the government had set up a seven-man committee in each of the 18 Local Government areas of the state to enforce the order.

Obaseki was speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting with the Serikin Hausa/Fulani from the 18 LGA’s of the state.

Obaseki charged the committee to visit all cases of herdsmen/farmers clashes in all the local government areas for amicable resolution.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the seven-man committee includes the Chairmen of the LGAs, the Divisional Police Officers (DPO’s), representatives of State Security Service (SSS) and four representatives from each of the communities in the state.

He said the state government would release the report of clashes between herdsmen and farmers in the state to the committees for review and action.

“The committees will ensure the registration of all the Serikin Fulani in every community across all the local government areas will liaise with everyone rearing cattle in the state.

“There will be another committee that will be headed by me that will include the State Commissioner of Police, the Director of the State Security Service, the Commander of 4 Brigade.

“Every month, we will meet with representatives of the local government committees to review and examine the progress being made in resolving the herdsmen and farmers’ clashes in the state.

“A special team made up of the Police, Army, Civil Defence Corps and other security agencies in the state will carry out random patrols and search operations.

“Any herdsman found possessing firearms will be arrested and charged with illegal possession of firearms as cattle rearers do not need an AK 47 to herd cattle, ” he said.

The Chairman of Hausa Community in the state, Alhaji Badamasi Saleh, requested that mechanism should be put in place to protect the sources of security information as most members of the communities find it difficult to volunteer information to the security agencies.

Saleh pledged readiness of the Hausa and Fulani communities to cooperate with the state government and work with the security agencies to fish out any member of their communities who engages in criminal activities.

He urged the state government to provide the necessary logistics that would aid the task of the monitoring committees in the various local government areas.

The State Commissioner of Police, Mr Johnson Kokumo, thanked members of the Hausa/Fulani community for finding time to attend the meeting and assured that with their support, the clashes between herdsmen and farmers will be checked.