Herdsmen Menace: Top military brass, govs, powerful Nigerians owners of cattle ―Osun govt

AGANIST the backdrop of the increasing killings and violence, being allegedly perpetrated by rampaging herdsmen, Osun State government, on Tuesday said the permanent solution to the crisis lies with the federal government, contending that most of the cattle, grazing across states in Nigeria belong to top military brass, governors, top police chiefs and other eminent Nigerians.

Addressing a press conference in Osogbo, capital of Osun, the state Commissioner for Special duties, Hon Mudasiru Toogun said: “most of the cattle or cows you see being grazed don’t belong to herdsmen, but they belong to IGs, Major Generals, governors and other powerful Nigerians”.

Speaking against the backdrop of the recent burning of Osun State government-owned farm settlement, located around Esa Oke community in Obokun local government, the commissioner, who also doubles as the chairman, Peace and Reconciliation Committee between the Bororo Fulani and Farmers in the state declared that Governor Rauf Aregbesola-led administration was ready, not ready to pass anti-grazing law to prohibit nomadic Fulani from grazing their cattle within Osun.

According to him, “no anti-grazing law in Osun, we are using the traditional approach. See what is happening in Benue, Ekiti. The hot spots today in Osun is Ijesa zone and this is due to the thick forest there. The most problematic area is Olaoluwa local government. Once they migrate from Oke Ogun zone, they assess Osun”.

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When reminded that a lawmaker, in Osun State House of Assembly, representing Obokun State Constituency, Hon Bosun Oyintiloye had last year presented an anti-grazing bill before the legislature, Toogun affirmed that there was no room for anti-grazing law in the state.Toogun, who was accompanied to the press conference by the Seriki Fulani of Osun State said “in Esa Oke, “we have sent more than 10 batches of Fulani Bororo herdsmen away with their arms and amunition” adding that “we have a replica of our committee in local government councils that fall under the hot spots”.

He further stated that plans were underway to carry out an enumeration of all cattle in the state, disclosing that each herder would pay a sum of N500 per cattle, just as he hinted that about 3 million cattle, belonging to nomadic Fulani and others were within the jurisdiction of Osun state.