rearers, which have turned deadly, Governor Ayodele Fayose, on Monday, August 29, 2016, signed the bill that prohibits open and night grazing (among other related things) in the state, into law.
To further
strengthen the law and add bite to its enforcement, Governor Fayose, on
Thursday, October 20th 2016, inaugurated Ekiti Grazing Enforcement Marshals
(EGEM) to see to the implementation of the law. The law entitled: “Prohibition
of Cattle and other Ruminants Grazing in Ekiti State Bill, 2016” was received
with mixed feelings among Nigerians.
The
inauguration of EGEM raised some level of anxiety in Ekiti State, with some
people wondering if the marshals would not abuse the privilege of their
offices. But Governor Fayose had stated at the inauguration that the marshals
that they would not be armed and that they must not step beyond their bounds.
But the
umbrella body of the herdsmen, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of
Nigeria (MACBAN) kicked on Saturday. They alleged that the EGEM had attacked
their members in the state and killed their cattle. MACBAN alleged in a
statement by its spokesperson, Baba Othman Ngelzarma said in a statement that
“Fayose unleashed the marshals against our members whose herds of cattle had
gone to a stream at Agon Bridge on Federal Polytechnic road between the time of
2:00 – 2:30 PM to quench their thirst on Friday 21st October 2016.”
However, the
state government, in reaction to the statement by Miyetti Allah, urged the
cattle rearers and breeders not to test the will of government and people of
Ekiti State, saying the law took into consideration the interest of all
stakeholders before it was passed by the House of Assembly and signed by
Governor Ayodele Fayose and if there are grey areas, they should seek
clarification.
The Ekiti
State Commissioner for Information, Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Lanre Ogunsuyi
said: “All the genuine cattle dealers were at the meeting and there was a
public hearing, and the law became necessary and it was duly passed by the
Ekiti State House of Assembly and signed by the state government.
“Anybody who
is criminally minded can test the will of government and see what happens to a
man that breaks the law. The penalties are there. The law exists in Ekiti
State; we are in a federation. That law is part of the laws of Ekiti State and
anybody who will do business in Ekiti State has to comply with it or face the
penalties of the law.”
The law by the
Ekiti State government had followed an attack by Fulani herdsmen in Oke Ako
community in Ikole Local Government Area of the state, in which one person lost
his life and many other people were injured. At a public ceremony attended by
tens of traditional rulers, chefs and sundry community leaders from all the
communities in the 16 local government areas of the state recently, Governor
Fayose had publicly signed the bill into law, thereby bringing to effect a law
on one of the most debated issues in recent times in the country.
Among other
things, the law named: “Law To regulate and Control Cattle and Other Ruminants
Grazing in Ekiti State and Other Matters Connected Therewith, 2016”, prescribes
a six-month jail term for offenders. It also prescribes that convicted
offenders would be made to pay the value of the farm and products destroyed by
their cattle.
The Speaker of
the state’s House of Assembly, Pastor Kola Oluwawole, at the presentation of
the bill for the governor’s assent, pointed out that those who violated the law
would be charged for terrorism. Oluwawole said the law was meant to maintain
sanity in that sector of the state’s economy as well as maintain peace.
The law was
conceived following herdsmen attack in Oke Ako community in Ikole Local
Government Area on May 21. The attack in which two persons were killed, had
caused the governor to visit the community and had put some immediate security
measures in place. But he had also stated on the occasion that the state would
come up with a law to control the activities of herdsmen in the state, just as
he also took steps to strengthen the locals in their own security and rebuild
confidence.
There are also
provisions in the law for places for grazing. For instance, a site was said to
have been provided Erifun community in Ado Ekiti Local Government Area of the
state.
The Ejemu of
Oke Ako, High Chief Solomon Kayode Olajide, who is the second in rank to the
traditional ruler, had spoken on behalf of the community. Chief Olajide thanked
Governor Fayose, saying his actions had put the community in the worldview.
The herdsmen
resident in Ekiti State had recently reacted to the new law through their
lawyer, Mr. Umar Imam. He said the Ekiti law “contradicted the Anti-Terrorism
Law,” of Nigeria, contending that “the law of the federation on terrorism is
very clear and no one can be charged for terrorism for carrying lesser arms
like cutlasses, catapults and knives during the grazing period as contained in
Ekiti new law.”
The Seriki of
the Fulani in Ekiti, Alhaji Ahmadu Mahmoud, who heads the Jamu Nate Fulbe
Association of Nigeria, said: “We agree with the governor on the grazing period
of between 7am and 6pm, but we should be allowed to carry lesser arms and
relocate at night. How can somebody who wants to carry his cattle numbering
hundreds from Ekiti to places like Lokoja, Ibadan or Ilorin move during the
day? These places are densely populated and it will create traffic congestion
and confusion everywhere. The government must look into all these.”
But the
state’s Commissioner for Information, Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Lanre
Ogunsuyi, while explaining the new law, pointed out that it was a child of
circumstance like most other laws found everywhere in the world and that the
law is the law and must be obeyed.
On the
complaints of the Fulani herdsmen as regards their movement at night, Ogunsuyi
said “the extant law should be obeyed because that is the law.” The people of
the state have, through their representatives in the state’s House of Assembly,
decided on a law and that is the law for now.
While the law
has already come into effect, the people of Erifun area of Ado Ekiti said they
too have heard about the announcement of their area as one of those where an
area would be made available for grazing, in the state.
A resident of
Erifun, who said “as a civil servant I cannot talk to the press,” told Nigerian
Tribune, however, volunteered that “we have also heard among the landlords in
the area that the grazing law chose our area as part of the Ado Ekiti reserve.”
According to him, “there has not been any formal notification or any visit by
officials of the government on the matter. But ordinarily, it is no longer news
to us in this area. We have also been seeing the cattle at one time or the
other.”
Another
resident of the community, Mrs. Idowu Orikogbe, said “there are Fulani people
in many parts of Ado Ekiti but the ones that created the problem in Oke Ako are
just bad. We are in support of the law and we want the movement of cattle to be
in a controlled way, so that they wouldn’t continue to cause damage to other
people’s property.”
Earlier in the
year, precisely in January 2016, representatives of the Sultan of Sokoto,
Alhaji Saad, the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe Aladesanmi III
and sundry stakeholders had met in Ado Ekiti and proposed a ban on night
grazing in Ekiti State.
According to
media reports, the meeting was sequel to sustained clashes between herdsmen and
their host communities, acts which had led to the loss of numerous lives and
property in parts of the country. It was a proactive step to prevent such
occurrence in Ekiti but it happened and the consequences are the controversy of
the EGEM and the threats by herdsmen.
Speaking on
the threats, which have led to a level of tension in the state, some residents
of the state have contended that “if certain commodities, like alcohol, could
be banned in some states of the federation, then it goes without saying that
some activities could also be regulated in Ekiti State for the benefit of all.”
The stage is
set for a prolonged controversy. But would it descend to violence and loss of
life and property in the youngest state in the South West?
tribuneonlineng.com
#MIYETTI
ALLAH: FAYOSE PLACES EKITI PEOPLE ON RED ALERT AGAINST POSSIBLE ATTACK
Governor
Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state has told the people of the state especially
residents of border towns to be on alert against any attack by herdsmen.
He also
reiterated his resolve to implement to the letter the grazing law entitled the
Prohibition of Cattle and other Ruminants Grazing in Ekiti State Bill, 2016
that was signed into law on August 29, 2016.
Fayose's
directive was in response to the threat of reprisal attack by the Miyeti Allah
Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), an umbrella body of herdsmen
who alleged that some of their cattle 'arrested' recently by the government
were killed.
While reacting
to the governor's inauguration of the Ekiti Grazing Law Enforcement Marshals,
EGEM recently, Miyetti Allah, had in a statement on Saturday asked the Federal
Government to call Fayose to order "before this macabre incident develops
into unquenchable inferno involving our members and Ekiti State government.”
MACBAN in the
statement signed by its spokesman, Baba Othman Ngelzarma, said: “Fayose
unleashed the marshals against our members whose herds of cattle had gone to a
stream at Agon bridge on Federal Polytechnic Road between the time of 2:00 p.m.
and 2:30 p.m. to quench their thirst on Friday, October 21 ,” claiming that
“the vigilance group shot five cows and carted away the meat, but the herdsman
was able to flee with the rest of his cattle.”
But Fayose
dismissed Miyetti Allah's claims as untrue and disclosed that the said five
cows were alive and in custody of the state government.
Fayose said,
" Therefore, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria
should rather tell its members to comply with this law by seeking from the
government designated land for grazing ranch, which the government is always
willing to give.
"I am,
therefore, using this opportunity to put Ekiti people, in the State on red
alert. Ekiti people must be prepared to defend their land against these
Philistines whose attributes and characters are extremism, violence, bloodshed
and destruction.
"The
herdsmen and those urging them on should also be informed that any attack on
one Ekiti person is an attack on all Ekitis and we shall not sit back and allow
our people to be killed under the guise of cattle rearing.
In the event
of federal government’s security agencies refusal to
secure the
lives and properties of Ekiti people, the people will have
no option than
to defend themselves. Our forefathers did same in the
famous Kiriji
War and we won’t mind doing the same now!"
Fayose blamed
the Federal Government on silence on the development, saying: "Four days
after this threat was issued against the government and people of Ekiti State
by the Miyetti Allah, the federal government is yet to act in any manner that
will disabuse the minds of Ekiti people, who believed that the federal
government is in support of the threat.
"The
silence of the federal government has no doubt further confirmed the
insinuation that there is plot to give tacit support to the
herdsmen to
invade some border towns and villages in Ekiti State and
cause chaos in
the State so as to justify the evil agenda of
declaration of
a state of emergency on the State."
Fayose said it sounded strange that the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria kept silent when its members killed two people and injured several others in Oke Ako in Ekiti State.
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