JIBWIS knocks Ortom, Isiyaku over anti-open grazing law

The Jama’atu Izatil Bid’a Wa’ikamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS) has knocked the Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state and his Taraba state counterpart, Darius Isyaku over the recent implementation of anti-open grazing law which led to the incessant clashes between farmers and herders in their respective states.

Shiekh Sani Yahaya Jingir who is the National Chairman Ulama’u Council of the group made the submission over the weekend during the opening ceremony of the newly built national Secretariat of the group in Jos.

Sheikh Jingir argued that no law whatsoever be enacted to prevent open grazing as doing so would hinder others from getting their livelihood.

The cleric also called on the Presidency and National Assembly to do all they could to ignore enactment of such law.

According to him, "Both farmers and herders need each other to function conveniently. For a governor to come up with a law prohibiting herders from open grazing is unfair and shouldn’t be accepted,

"This is because such law would prevent herders from getting their livelihood as being the only means for their living. We call on the Presidency and and the National Assembly to resist any move to enact the law in the country," he said.

Jingir further called on both Taraba and Benue State governors to suspend the law for peaceful coexistence in the country.

While calling on both farmers and herders to embrace one another, the Islamic cleric also noted that Farmers/herders violence or killing could not be justified in the side of Allah, adding that the farmers/herders clashes weren’t religious