Ekiti state government has prohibited underage and night grazing, saying it will henceforth invoke the total weight of the law on any underage or anyone found herding at night.
It also warned herders operating in the state not to ruin the government’s substantial agricultural investment by allowing their flocks to invade and destroy farms.
The special adviser to the Governor on Security Matters, Brig. General Ebenezer Ogundana (rtd) warned in Ado Ekiti during a stakeholders’ meeting of the Ekiti State Farmers’/Herders’ Peace Committee.
Ogundana, who also serves as committee chairman, revealed that Governor Oyebanji inaugurated the committee in 2023 to permanently end farmer/herder clashes in the state.
He affirmed that the ban became imperative to promote peaceful coexistence and mutual understanding between farmers and pastoralists in the state.
“Since the government will not fold its arms and allow the lawlessness to continue, the Herders/Farmers Peace Committee was inaugurated by Governor Biodun Oyebanji in 2023. The Committee is to interface between the herders and farmers. In addition, other policies and control measures are implemented to strengthen the relationship between them.
“Some of these policies include the Anti-Grazing Law, an Act of the state House of Assembly. The law ensures no grazing at night, prohibits under-age people from grazing, and prohibits grazing on the farmland. The defaulters are to be dealt with according to the law of the land.
Ogundana said that to ensure effective coordination and compliance at local government levels, the committee inaugurated 18 local government Coordinators to serve as committee representatives at the LGAs, adding that the effort will bring about the desired cooperation among herders, farmers, and the host communities.
He called on traditional rulers, local government Chairmen, and representatives of farmers and herders to create a forum where they can dialogue on the need to be independent, invariably address the issue of suspicion and trespasses by either party and educate one another on the importance of abiding by the state’s Anti-Grazing Law.
The Chairman of the Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers, Oba Gabriel Adejuwon, represented by the Onisan of Isan Ekiti, called on security forces to be aware of their responsibility and expressed trust in the government’s various commitments to ensuring peace and adequate security in the state.
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