Senior Special Assistant to Governor Samuel Ortom on Animal Husbandry, Alhaji Shehu Tambaya, has raised the alarm over the influx of herdsmen and their cattle into Benue State in the last few weeks.
Tambaya who disclosed this to newsmen in Makurdi on Sunday also expressed fear that the influx of these herdsmen may portend danger for the state especially as the rainy season winds up to give way for the dry season.
He listed some of the local government areas that have witnessed the influx of herdsmen and their cattle in the last few weeks to include Makurdi, Gwer East, Gwer West, Ukum, Logo, Guma, Agatu and Kwande.
The Governor’s aide who posited that the invading Herdsmen should know that there’s a law banning open grazing in Benue, again warned that whoever is caught would be made to face the wrath of the law no matter how connected he may be.
He also urged security agencies in the state to rise up to their responsibility of protecting the lives and property of all Benue residents as they have been doing even as he maintained that the Governor would continue to do his best to ensure that all law-abiding citizens in the state are protected.
Tambaya also described the recent utterances credited to the National Secretary of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Baba Usman Ngelzarma on Channels Television in which he described as a failure, the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law of Benue State as the groaning of a drawing man.
He wondered why Ngelzarma who is educated enough to understand that Benue’s Grazing law is a win-win for both farmers and herders would be talking in the manner in which he did on national television.
“If someone, as educated as Ngelzarma, would be talking in this way, one wonders the kind of information his ilks are feeding the uneducated herdsmen to warrant this level of hatred from herdsmen towards my principal and the entire Benue people.
“Ngelzarma should note that no matter the intimidation, the Benue’s grazing law has come to stay and nothing, I repeat, nothing will make us repeal that law,” Tambaya said.
