The Benue State government has released, to its owner, another 187 coŵs impounded by the Livestock Guards Task Force for openly grazing in Makurdi metropolis.
Daily Trust reports that this is the second set of animals caught grazing openly within the state capital territory in less than one week after the release of the first detained 105 cattle only few days ago.
State Commissioner of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Hyacinth Nyakuma said, at the official handing over of the animals to its owner yesterday in Makurdi, that the state’s anti-open grazing law was still in force as he called on leadership of the herders to educate their members.
“It appears that herders are not willing to comply with the law, few days after the first release, these second set of animals were intercepted. Benue didn’t enact the law as an avenue for making money but to ensure a peaceful cohabitation,” he said.
Nyakuma therefore, urged all security agencies to enforce the law because it was in consonant with the Nigeria’s constitution as the quest was to provide law and order, stressing that the animals, while in detention, were properly fed and given medication.
The commissioner added that the law required that an offender pays a prescribed fine after necessary dialogue with a committee in charge of the procedure in line with the public document before the release of the animals from their confinement in the yard belonging to the state government.
Earlier, the State Chairman of Myetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Ubi Haruna, who led some members of his executives to include his assistant secretary, Ibrahim Galma and the owner of the cattle to receive back the animals, expressed gratitude to the Benue government for keeping the 187 coŵs and 44 sheep safe.
Haruna promised to educate his members on the state’s grazing law as he appealed to the Benue government for more time to meet up with the requirement of the law, noting further that the crisis in early 2018 widened the gap between the herders and the state government.
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