Stop Open Grazing In The South-West Or…. Agbekoya Threatens Miyetti Allah

A Yoruba farmers’ group, the Agbekoya Farmers’ Society has warned the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore that there would be consequences if they fail to obey the instruction to stop open grazing of animals in the South-West region.

The Agbekoya group was reacting to a statement by a factional umbrella body for herdsmen, Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, which kicked against the ban imposed on open grazing by South-west governors.

It will be recalled as reported by Naija News that Miyetti Allah had insisted that the ban on open grazing was tantamount to an eviction notice.

Secretary-General of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Saleh Alhassan, in an interview, had said the ban on open grazing by some state governors was targeted at destroying the means of livelihood of herdsmen and radicalize the herders.

He added that the governors can’t ban open grazing and that its members will continue to practice open grazing instead of ranching.

But in a response on Sunday, the Agbekoya Farmers Association knocked the leadership of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore for its open challenge to the order issued by the governors.

The group warned that there will be consequences if the herdsmen fail to obey the directive to stop open ranching in the region as no group should dictate to the government on how to run the affairs of its domain.

The President-General of the group, Chief Kamorudeen Okikiola, said: “Can a Southerner or a Yoruba man living in the North refuse to obey the Sharia law or any other law of the Northern states?

“Yoruba people have been very accommodating, but if we are pushed to the wall, we are going to fight back. “How can a group of people, under a business name or an association, come out openly to say that they cannot obey the law of the state where they are operating their business, even if the law affects their business?

“We call on the South-West governors to put everything in place to make sure the open grazing law is effectively obeyed to avoid and put to end clashes between farmers and herdsmen in the Southwest.”

Okikiola added that the only logical solution to the incessant clashes between herdsmen and farmers is to ban open grazing and establish cattle ranches, noting that open grazing is an outdated practice.

“The days of open grazing are gone, and anyone that is interested in rearing cattle should establish a cattle ranch.

“We are warning the members of the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore to be ready to obey the open grazing law in South-West or face the wrath of the law or other consequences,” he said.

Meanwhile, prominent Northern Elder, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai has asked Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State to reveal those behind banditry in the state to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Naija News had reported that the governor had said that Nigerians would be shocked if he disclosed the names of those behind the kidnappings in the state.

But in an interview with THISDAY at the weekend, Yakassai said he hopes the governor is not trying to blackmail some people in the state.

Yakassai urged the governor to give the details about the alleged sponsors to Buhari so that the president should know how to handle the matter.

According to him, nobody is happy over the killing, and it will be an indictment on the president if the violence continues.