- Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina state has spoken about the persistence clashes between herdsmen and farmers in some parts of Nigeria
- Governor Masari said original grazing routes and grazing areas in many states of the federation have been encroached upon by some people
- He said the ugly trend started some decades ago but most states failed to take necessary actions to stop the takeover of the grazing routes and reserves
Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina state said the persistence clashes between the herdsmen and farmers is due to encroachment on land reserved for grazing by farmers and consequent encroachment on farms by breeders.
Vanguard reports that governor Masari made this known during the flagging off ceremony of demarcation of cattle routes in nine local government areas of the state to arrest the ugly trend in the country and avert the clashes in the state.
The governor represented by the secretary to the government of state, Mustapha Inuwa, said the demarcation was to ensure peace and unity between herdsmen and farmers as well as changing the unhealthy relationship existing between herdsmen and farmers in Nigeria, thus bringing to an end the culture of bloody violence.
According to him, “It must be pointed out that the original grazing routes and grazing areas in many states of the federation have been encroached upon by people, this is one of the reasons why herdsmen are destroying peoples’ farms in search of food for their animals.
“We are determined to ensure peace and unity between herdsmen and farmers. Our main focus is to change the unhealthy relationship existing between herdsmen and farmers in Nigeria, thus bringing to an end the culture of bloody violence.
“The ugly trend started some decades ago but most states failed to take necessary actions to stop the takeover of the grazing routes and reserves which were adequately provided even during the colonial days.
PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigeria’s #1 news app
“But Katsina state government is the first to initiate and implement the programme. But this cannot be sustainable if we cannot complement the effort of state government by ensuring that no one violent the rules of the initiative.
“We appeal to stakeholders and security agencies to take the necessary measure to recover the grazing reserves and identify cattle routes from those who have encroached into them.
“We called on traditional rulers of the affected local governments to give the committee that would embark on the exercise, the needed support that will enable them to discharge their assignment effectively.”
Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had reported that troops captured another killer herdsman in the Guma local government area of Benue, the scene of recurring deadly attacks by herdsmen. The name of the captured herdsman was given as Idi Gemu.
The capture of Gemu, whose AK 47 has also been seized by troops, brings to four the number of killer herdsmen captured in the area in the past five days.
Many communities in the Tiv speaking areas, including Guma local government area, have seen repeated attacks by herdsmen in recent times.
Nigerian herdsmen vs Nigerian farmers on NAIJ.com TV:
Source: Naija.ng
