5-year jail term awaits herdsmen in Benue if…

WHEN signed into law, anyone who engages in open grazing in Benue State  and on conviction will now be liable for five years imprisonment.

This punishment is contained in the bill prohibiting open grazing in the state which was on Thursday, passed by the state house of Assembly .

The house in the open committee presided over by the speaker of the house, Hon. Terkinbit Ikyanger passed the bill which had been raging in the house in the last few months.

The bill provides that anyone who engages in cattle rustling shall be liable on conviction  for imprisonment of a term not less than  three years or payment of one hundred thousand per animal or both.

In the case of open grazing or rearing of live stocks, the law provides that anyone who contravenes the law shall be guilty of an offense and such person on conviction be liable to five years imprisonment of fine of one million naira or both.

The bill  titled, the open grazing prohibition and ranches establishment law, 2017 said after signing into law  provides that ‘no individual or group  shall after the commencement of this law, engage in open nomadic livestock, herding or grazing in the state outside the permitted ranches’.

The bill also provides for monetary compensation  in case of any damage to a property and imprisonment of two years of the livestock owner or manager in case of injury to any person in the state.

“Where such contravention causes the death of any person within the state, the owner or manager  of such livestock  shall be guilty of an offense of culpable homicide punishable under the penal code law”.

The bill was passed  after the house considered the report of its committee on
Agriculture and Natural Resources as presented by its chairman, Mr James Gbande.

The whole committee was shared by the speaker of the house, Hon. Terkinbir Ikyanger.