Fayose makes good on threat! Free grazing now a crime in Ekiti

The Ekiti State House of Assembly has passed a bill criminalizing free grazing of cattle and other ruminants in the state, providing a six month jail term for offenders.

The bill, unanimously passed by members at plenary, also restricts grazing to designated ranches approved by the governor of the state while also limiting their movement to between 7am and 6pm.

It would be recalled that Governor Ayodele Fayose had, in the wake of an attack on a rural community in the state by suspected Fulani herdsmen, vowed to ban grazing of cattle in the state.

The bill, titled ‘Prohibition of Cattle and Other Ruminants Grazing in Ekiti, 2016’, was passed after the chairman of the joint committees on Agriculture and Environment, Mr. Kayode Fajemisin presented its report to the House. The report followed a public hearing conducted on the bill by the committees.

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According to the Speaker of the House of Assembly, the passage of the bill will effectively curb frequent squabbles between farmers and herdmen in the state.

The speaker said: “if the bill is eventually accented to by the governor, it will now become crime for any cattle, sheep and goat to graze on undesignated land for ranches in Ekiti.

According to the bill, upon conviction an offender shall be sentenced to six months in prison without option of fine.

It also provides that the Governor shall by an order designate land in each of 16 Local Government Areas in the state in respect of which Cattle or Ruminants may be permitted to graze.

Others are: “No person shall cause or permit any cow, oxen, sheep as well as goat under his or her control to graze on any land in which the Governor has not designated as ranches”, “No cattle or other ruminants shall by any means move in the night, movement shall be between 7 a.m and 6p.m”.

By Timothy Enietan-Matthews…

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