Indications emerged weekend that the open grazing ban handed down on five states where killings have become unbearable may be on the collapsing lane as fresh killings were reported on Sunday and early Monday morning within the North Central Zone.
It would be recalled that early last week; the Special Committee set by the federal government to investigate the Fulani herdsmen/farmers clashes headed by Ebonyi State Governor, Chief Dave Umahi submitted its report to the NEC meeting at the Presidential Villa presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Addressing reporters shortly after the meeting, Committee chairman, Chief Umahi revealed that NEC okayed the recommendation to ban open grazing, opting for the establishment of ranches in the key five states affected by the herdsmen onslaught.
Other members of the sub-committee included Governors Simon Lalong (Plateau), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Darius Ishaku (Taraba), and Bindo Jubrilla (Adamawa). The panel was mandated to visit Benue, Taraba, Zamfara and Adamawa states.
Governor Umahi further revealed that his team visited five states Benue, Taraba, Plateau Adamawa and Zamfara, were three main categories of herdsmen in Nigeria were identified. These, according to him, are foreign herdsmen, nomadic herdsmen and migrant herdsmen whose continued activities have resulted in clashes with farmers.
Tough he was economical with words on the most dreaded category of herdsmen amongst the listed three, several victims of the killings say foreign and migrant herdsmen are killer groups as the romance with nomadic herdsmen had been on for years without any clashes.
He said the NEC also agreed that the states affected by herdsmen killings donate land for the establishment of ranches that will include nomadic schools and health facilities for their family members.
According to him, “Niger and Kaduna have given lands, and Plateau is also giving land. We also agreed that through the agriculture ministry, we have to introduce new species of cows.”
Umahi said the council members accepted the recommendation to stop the further influx of foreign herdsmen into the country.
