From Linus Oota, Lafia
Nasarawa State Governor, Umaru Tanko Almakura, has banned night grazing of livestock in the state.
The governor vowed that his administration will not rest on its oars until herdsmen/farmers conflict and other criminalities are eradicated in the state.
Governor Almakura, who stated this yesterday in Keffi, during a security meeting with stakeholders in the western senatorial zone of the state, explained that the ban came as a result of series of complaints by farmers in the state that herdsmen have been taking their cattle to graze on farmlands of their unsuspecting victims at night, thereby, destroying all crops planted.
Represented by his special adviser on security, Gen Mohammed Adeka (retd), the governor said “the ban on night grazing in the state is with a view to proactively avert clashes between herdsmen and farmers associated with the harvest period.”
Almakura also lamented the spate of the resurgence of armed robbery and kidnapping in the state which, according to him, pose “serious risk to travelers traversing the state and the conveyance of agricultural products.
“Herdsmen are strongly warned to avoid farmlands and, where possible, harvested crops should be removed from the farm soonest,” he directed.
He tasked farmers to avoid the blocking of cattle routes within the state and demanded that cases of such blockage should be reported to relevant authorities for necessary actions to avoid clashes.
The governor, however, called on districts and village heads in the state to collaborate with security agencies in their respective areas to report, promptly, any suspected issue of insecurity to constituted authorities.
In his remarks, on behalf of the traditional rulers in the zone, the Ohimega Opanda, Usman Abdullahi called for the allocation of security votes to traditional rulers in the country to help them meet the financial challenges being faced by them when mitigating insecurity issues in their domains.