MACBAN pledges support for Benue grazing law

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) on Tuesday pledged its commitment to obey the Benue State anti-open grazing law.

North Central Zonal Chairman of MACBAN, Danladi Chiroma, also said the association would cooperate with the state government to expose criminal elements responsible for the current crisis in the state.

Chiroma in company of his zonal leadership made the pledge during a meeting with Governor Samuel Ortom and other state officials in Makurdi.

He told our correspondent afterwards that the meeting deliberated on the confiscation of some cows said to have breached the state’s grazing law and that the government had agreed to release the animals to them.

Earlier, Governor Ortom noted that there were no alternative to the ranching law enacted by the state government to regulate livestock business.

He said the ranching law was the collective decision of Benue people and that he lacked the powers even as Governor to reverse or make adjustments to it.

Ortom said though MACBAN had requested for more time to enable them adjust and conform to the law, he promised them that the law would be implemented with a human face and that was being done.

The Governor added that while the law was being implemented, discussions between MACBAN and the state government would continue with a view to fashioning out ways of ensuring peace between farmers and herdsmen in the state.

"The main objective of the meeting was the arrest and confiscation of some cattle in breach of the ranching law but the state government had agreed to release the cattle to their owners after the payment of fines as stipulated by the law," Ortom said.