Osun govt raises alarm over menace of Fulani herdsmen

Osun State government on Thursday raised the alarm over the menace posed by the activities of Fulani’s herdsmen in the state, saying incessant cattle’s invasion of farmlands was capable of constituting threats to food security and security of lives, most especially in rural communities.

Rising from the State Executive Council meeting on Wednesday evening, the government in a press statement signed by the media adviser to Governor Rauf Aregbesola, Mr Sola Fasure said “the Council received report of the menace of nomadic herdsmen, who bring their cattle to eat up crops on farms and commit other crimes in the state.”

According to the statement, “the Council viewed this seriously and condemn it strongly. It is the council’s strong position that this development constitutes a threat to security of lives and food production in the state. Council is dismayed that many farmers in the state have been forced to abandon their farms, some of which have now been converted to criminal hideouts.

“Council sympathised with the farmers and urged those affected not to take laws into their own hands, but should bring it to the attention of law enforcement agencies and other relevant government agencies, that are in the best position to address their plights,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, the Council has lauded the swearing in ceremony of 389 councillors, representing all the wards in the state as the parliamentary system takes off seamlessly, just as it approved the inauguration of parliaments and governments at the local government level, which is billed to take place on Tuesday, February 13, 2018.

It tasked the elected councillors to take their victory as call to service by providing effective representation and vibrant leadership to their people in tandem with the parliamentary system of government at local level.

In another development, Osun State Executive Council had received the report that harsh weather condition and old age have affected some of the general hospitals in the state and subseqeuntly “directed the Ministry of Works to carry out physical assessment of all the general hospitals, with a view to determining their physical condition, where and what need to be fixed therein and at what cost and report back to the council.”