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Tag: Anti-Grazing Laws

  • Buhari and anti-grazing laws, By Sonnie Ekwowusi

    Buhari and anti-grazing laws, By Sonnie Ekwowusi

    By Sonnie Ekwowusi

    President Buhari faults anti-grazing laws. He slams Governors of Southern States for banning open grazing in their respective States. This is preposterously nauseating. Whereas Mr. President objects to open grazing prohibition he keeps mute over the murder, rape, battery, assault and other crimes being committed by the AK-47-weliding Fulani herdsmen in the course of rearing their cattle and cows. President Buhari is biased in favour of his fellow Fulani kinsmen against other ethnic nationalities that make up Nigeria. Why should a President of a country who ought to see the whole country as his constituency condescend to the low level of putting the cattle–rearing profit-making and private business of the Fulani herdsmen over and above public right and public interest.

    Nigeria is bigger than Fulani herdsmen. If Nigeria is a multi-lingual, multi-ethnic and multi-national society, why should Mr. President hold brief for Fulani herdsmen; an attitude which does not reflect the shared visions and aspirations of the variegated interest groups and nationalities that constitute Nigeria?. Where has this President been all these six years in which the murderous Fulani herdsmen have been freely going about killing, maiming, and raping their victims and dispossessing them of their farm lands? Has it not dawned on this President that the Fulani herdsmen have killed or maimed thousands of innocent Nigerians in the last six years under his watch? Why has human life become so cheap in this Buhari government? Is President Buhari aware that in the last three years different Nigerian courts have consistently affirmed the right of Nigerian State governments to implement anti-grazing laws in their respective States? Is the President aware that the implementation of anti-grazing laws in different States of the Federation has brought relative calm and peace and security of lives in the aforesaid States? Is Mr. President aware that the Northern Governors Forum banned open grazing before their Southern counterpart? Is President Buhari aware that the Governors of the 36 States of the Federation have banned open grazing in their respective States? Is the President aware that the Federal High Court, Abuja has recently rejected a suit seeking to compel President Muhammad Buhari to direct security agencies to enforce the Benue anti-grazing law? Anyway, the Southern State Governors have ignored President Buhari’s flawed and uninformed objection in the same manner they ignored the laughable infantile anti-grazing opinion recently expressed by the Federal Attorney-General and Minister for Justice. Anti-grazing laws have come to stay. State Governors are poised to enforce the laws to the letter no matter whose ox is gored.

    The problem is that Mr. President does not still understand the meaning and import of Presidential democracy which Nigeria operates. And this problem is compounded by the fact that the President’s managers and handlers are failing in their duty of helping the President to have organized, intelligent and coherent thoughts on vital issues of governance. It beats the imagination that the President is querying Southern State Governors for banning open grazing in their respective States. Mr. President should be reminded again and again that we are no longer under a military autocracy. Under military autocracy an autocratic Buhari can issue a command from Abuja and it would be binding on the Governors of all the 36 States of the Federation. During Nigerian military interregnum, the country operated a monolithic and hierarchical government that did not admit of power sharing. Only the Head of State or the Federal Military Government or the Supreme Military Council, was everything. But not so under presidential democracy which we are operating in Nigeria today. Under Presidential democracy the Houses of Assembly and Governors of the 36 States of the Federation, as could be gleaned from the devolution of powers in the Exclusive, Concurrent and Residual Lists under the 1999 Constitution and under the Land Use Act, can enact anti-grazing laws to be binding in their respective States in order to protect the lives of the citizens of their respective States.

    I had expected Mr. President to raise an alarm over the terrible crimes being committed by the Fulani herdsmen across the country. Instead of raising such an alarm, President Buhari is raising an alarm that the criminals are not being protected or granted “grazing right” by the Governors of Southern States. Does Mr. President understand that right, in the words of the late Supreme Court Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, is not a one-way traffic? Right is reciprocal. Right is intertwined with and conditioned by duties. For example, the “right” of Fulani herdsmen to kill their fellow citizens in the course of rearing their cattle stops where the right to life of their fellow citizens begins. Besides, what is good for the goose is equally good for the gander. If Mr. President is raising an alarm that the Fulani herdsmen are denied open grazing right, why is he not equally raising an alarm that the same Fulani herdsmen are killing, maiming and raping Nigerian citizens? Has it not dawned on the President that by virtue of the Land Use Act all the lands in Southern Nigeria are exclusively vested in Southern State Governors (not in the Presidency or Fulani herdsmen) who are at liberty to grant or convey or assign the use or title of them to any applicant who has fulfilled the conditions for such grant or conveyance or assignment ?

    As you know very well, Nigerians from different walks of life have literally been begging President Buhari to eliminate nepotism and provincialism that breed secessionist and separatist agitations in Nigeria but he has refused to do so. Nigerians have also been urging him to correct the skewed political appointments in the country but he has also refused to correct the skewed political appointments. Instead of correcting the skewed political appointments, Mr. President keeps on uttering sanctimonious sermons on non-negotiability of the unity of Nigeria. Nigeria’s unity is under a serious threat today owing to President Buhari’s nepotism, provincialism and small-town outlook. It is worthy of note that prior to Buhari coming to power, the Fulani herdsmen rearing cattle in Southern Nigeria were not armed with AK-47 guns let alone killing, maiming and raping their victims with alacrity. But unfortunately since Buhari came to power, these Fulani herdsmen rearing cattle in the South have started carrying guns and indulging in all sorts of criminal activities. Now instead of bringing these criminals to justice President Buhari is advocating for their “right” to open grazing. Does this perfectly square up with simple logic? No.

    Consequently in order to unify the country and thus pave way for the much-vaunted true Nigerian progress Mr. President should first and foremost shed the cloak of his nepotism, provincialism, narrow-mindedness and Fulani-herdsmen-myopism. Unity of Nigeria has a price tag. It is not something imposed from Abuja through executive fiat. You cannot be telling me that the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable while at the same time you are ignoring the killing, maiming and raping and other crimes being committed by the Fulani herdsmen across Nigeria.

  • Killings: IGP cautions on anti-grazing laws, to mop up illegal arms

    The Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris on Wednesday advised state governors to prioritise the establishment of cattle ranches before enacting anti-grazing laws, to avert conflict between farmers and herdsmen.

    The IGP gave the advice at the Northern States Stakeholders Security Summit, with the theme, `National Building: Security Challenges and the Need for Inclusive Approach’, held in Kaduna.

    “It ¡s my humble suggestion that to reduce the incidence of clashes between farmers and herders in Nigeria, State Governments should endeavour to establish grazing ranches in their various states before enacting laws to prohibit open rearing and grazing.

    “It ¡s when grazing ranches are established that herders can be arrested and punished for rearing and grazing on the open places.

    “Doing so, I am of the opinion that it will make the law acceptable by all the parties concerned and other critical stakeholders in that all important sector.

    “It will do us good if we avoid the hasty formulation and implementation of such laws across the country in the interest of peace and unity.’’

    According to the IGP, the crisis in Benue would have been mitigated, if the state had first established grazing ranches before prohibiting open grazing.

    Idris disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari had mandated the police to adopt “strategies effective enough to end the recurring Herders/Farmers clashes ¡n Nigeria.’’

    “It must, however, be noted that Framers/Herders clashes did not start with this administration, yet this administration has taken more measures to end the crisis than any previous regime.”

    He added that the Police have made some arrest in Benue and other places, and warned that there would be no sacred cows, as anyone who violates the law would be arrested and prosecuted.

    The IGP also spoke on the problem of banditry in Zamfara, saying that the present administration was taking steps to avert future occurrence.

    “Some arrests have already been made and the outcome of investigation will be made known soonest.’’

    He gave details of efforts to tackle kidnapping in the country, saying that the police had from December, arrested over 200 kidnappers, armed robbery and cattle rustling suspects in various parts of the country.

    “Over 50 AK 47 Rifles, 20 English made pistols, two 5MG Rifles, over 1000 rounds of AK 47 Rifles and other assorted pistols ammunition were recovered from them.

    “These recoveries raise serious alarm on the number of illegal arms and ammunition at the disposal of criminals and bandits.

    “This must not be allowed to continue especially as the 2019 general election is fast approaching.’’

    According to the IGP, all police chiefs in the 36 states and FCT have been directed to mop up of illegally acquired arms and ammunition within 21 days.

    He decried the arming of security outfits formed by some state governments, warning that at the expiration of the 21-day ultimatum, any person found with prohibited firearms will be arrested and prosecuted.

    On the 2019 general elections, Idris appealed to politicians to desist from acts capable of truncating the elections.

    “Election context must not be a do or die affair. It must be approached with the spirit of sportsmanship.

    “Politicians should as a matter of urgent national importance begin to educate their supporters on the need for violent free elections.’’

    He called for the support of well meaning Nigerians for security agencies to make the country safer for all.

    “Let me state unequivocally that the security architecture and infrastructure of any Nation is not strong without the people.

    “The people are the main reason why the architecture ¡s reliable and dependable. You are the building block, without you it will not stand. I urge you to stand strong with the Police in the fight against criminality.’’

    He pledged that the police would continue to discharge its duties efficiently, effectively and in a manner that would earn it the trust and respect of all well meaning Nigerians.