Oke-Ogun livestock farmers ask Fulani group to withdraw case against Oyo govt

A group, Oke-Ogun Livestock Farmers Association has called on the Oyo State chapter of the Gah Allah Fulani Development Association (GAFDAN) to urgently withdraw their legal suit against the State government over the signing of the State’s Anti-grazing bill to law.

Recall that the state government recently signed into law the bill which opposed open grazing by herders due to the incessant clashes between farmers and cattle herders which led to the loss of lives and farm products.

The chairman of the association, Alhaji Rasaq Ashirudeen, said the law was in line with the state’s responsibility to protect its citizen, majority who were farmers.

He stated this while paying a courtesy visit to the Sole Administrator of Iseyin South Local Community Development Area (LCDA), Honourable Ajibola Raheem, in Iseyin over the weekend.

Ashirudeen called on GAFDAN to avoid confrontation with the state government with the resolve to approach the court but rather sit with the government and work on the areas that would affect them in the law.

“It is imperative that the GAFDAN do the needful and immediately withdraw the case they took to the court against the state. It is not going to bring about the needed peace. They are Nigerians that can live anywhere in the country but even the constitution of Nigeria does not allow for the destruction of others’ property, especially their own means of livehood.

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“We plead with the two parties to reach a truce but the Fulani group should firstly withdraw their case from the court so that amicable solutions can be found.

“We as livestock farmers have been victims of farm destruction by herders and at times our people also got attacked by the herders when confronted after the destruction of farm, but we are all looking for economic survival and government will not open its eyes for a party to disrupt the survival of the other.

“I am sure our governor who has been seen as a peace-loving and welfarist will be willing to accommodate whatever the herders are bringing to the negotiation table so that it will be a win-win situation. The cattle owners have to show some level of understanding for the government’s drive towards peaceful coexistence of citizens,” he pointed.

In his words, Honourable Ajibola Raheem saluted the courage and what he called an uncommon resolve of the group to say the truth for the sake of peaceful coexistence of the Fulani and farmers in Oyo State.

He said, “the state governor has never missed any opportunity to make the people of the state know of his love for peace, which we all know is the driver of economic growth.

“With your appeal to the GASDAN, I wish they heed to it and meet with the government to fashion out the best way out to do their business without having a problem with farmers.”