..Hearing in Zakzaky’s suit against FG stalled

From Godwin Tsa, Abuja, Noah Ebije and Sola Ojo, Kaduna

Kaduna State Government has revived 17 grazing reserves, some of which were established in 1944, in a bid to improve its economic status.

Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry, Dr. Manzo Daniel Maigari, who stated this yesterday in Kaduna when he briefed the media on his ministry’s activities in the past 12 months, clarified that the state government was not only reviving the reserves, but also looking at how they can be turned into commercial pasture hubs as done in other climes.

According to the commissioner, there was an existing committee set up to take proper records of visiting herdsmen into the grazing reserves but, somewhere along the line, the committee shirked its responsibility, thereby giving room for visiting herdsmen to use the facility without trace.

Maigari stated that the grazing reserves would be gazetted in such a way that they will create employment opportunities for other people apart from cattle owners.

“These grazing reserves have been existing for a long time. For example, that of Kachia was established in 1944, but they were abandoned. Now the present government has decided to revive these grazing reserves because they have been gazetted.

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“No community is affected by these grazing land, so, the issue of paying compensation to anybody does not arise,” he stated.

Meanwhile, hearing in the N2 billion fundamental rights suit filed by leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Ibrahim el-Zakzaky against  the Federal Government was yesterday stalled following the absence of the respondents including the Department of State Services (DSS), the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Police in court.

The suit was filed before the Abuja division of the   Federal High Court, by his counsel and rights activist, Mr. Femi Falana.

The plaintiff is specifically asking for  N2 billion from the Federal Government as damages for his continuous detention without trial. When the case was called yesterday,  the court registrar informed the court that the respondents, which are the DSS, the police and the Attorney-general of the Federation were absent.

Falana, who represented Zakzaky in the suit asked for his  immediate and unconditional release and a court order restraining the respondents from further violating his right in any form.

Zakzaky was arrested in December 2015 after a siege on his residence in Zaria, Kaduna State by soldiers. Several members of the group were also killed in the clash with the military.

In the motion, Zakzaky prayed the court to compel the enforcement of his fundamental rights, stressing that his detention for over five months without trial was illegal.