Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State has called on his counterparts in the southern region to ensure the enforcement of the ban on open grazing.
The PUNCH reports that the southern region governors placed a ban on open grazing after a resolution was reached at a meeting held in Asaba, Delta State.
The ban on open grazing has been hotly debated following tensions caused by clashes between farmers and herdsmen in some parts of the country.
Speaking to newsmen during a Zoom meeting on Saturday, Ikpeazu said: “We are now at the point of making sure that we enforce and implement it and even in doing that I must also share what I see as a challenge to the enforcement of that law.
“The law is in place and we are taking steps to enforce it.
“It has become imperative that we enforce that law strictly because we just noticed that we have big-time trouble in our hands.
“We have those that we refer to as criminal herdsmen; they are different from the ordinary herdsmen that we have been living with all these years.
“We now have in our mist bandits that have infiltrated from the rest of West Africa and other parts of Africa and their assignment is to come here rape, kill and kidnap people for money.
“It is now very imperative that we enforce that law.”
Recall that WUZUPNIGERIA reported that the southern governors, led by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, have also placed a ban on open grazing.
Akeredolu in a statement three days ago called on other governors to adopt the modern style of animal husbandry and at the same time urged the Federal government to support state governments interested in setting up ranches.
