Delta State House of Assembly is worried that three years after the anti-grazing bill was passed and signed into law, herders still engage in open grazing in the state.
To this end, the House in line with its oversight functions and through the Assembly Committee on Legislative Compliance, Tuesday, summoned a stakeholders meeting at the State’s Assembly Complex to seek ways forward.
The Committee headed by the Deputy Speaker, Rt Hon Arthur Akpowowo, expressed concern that violators of the Anti-Open Grazing Law are working freely on the streets and vowed to stamp its feet harder in collaboration with the Executive in ensuring full-scale compliance.
At the meeting which was attended by security agencies in the State as well as members of the Delta State Livestock Management Committee, the lawmakers said, what is more worrisome is the unwholesome killings, maiming, and raping of innocent farmers and residents in the State by herdsmen.
The Chairman of the Committee and Deputy Speaker of the House stated that the sad narrative has continued unabated irrespective of the law banning open grazing in the State.
Speaking with journalists shortly after the meeting, Rt. Hon. Akpowowo, who was unhappy with the development, said the State legislature is irrevocably committed to ensuring that the open grazing law and any other laws passed by the Assembly were implemented and obeyed to the latter in the state.
According to the Deputy Speaker, the State legislature is poised to ensure full-scale compliance with the open grazing law as unwholesome activities of some herdsmen have caused and still causing in the State untold crisis in the State.
He said, “You will recall that about two weeks ago, it was reported here in this hallowed chamber that a farmer was killed in Uwheru community in Ughelli North Local Government Area of the State
“Also, last year, in my constituency, Abraka, some farmers were killed as they were attacked by herdsmen on their farm.
“Everywhere in Delta State, the story is the same. There is hardly any week without one ugly story or other relating to the activities of herdsmen in the State.
“This must not continue especially when there is an existing law prohibiting open grazing in the State. The law is made to be obeyed and, it must be obeyed to the latter” Rt. Hon. Akpowowo fumed.
Speaking further, the Deputy Speaker and Chairman, House Committee on Legislative Compliance noted that until the State and, indeed the country take firm decisions on the the unwholesome activities of herders in the State and country, the challenge of food shortage would continue to hunt the people.
Akpowowo disclosed that the committee had asked the security agencies in the State to rise to their task of arresting, apprehending as well as prosecuting offenders of the law, adding that there must not be any sacred cow.
He said the House would be happy to see violators of the law prosecuted to check lawlessness in the society.
The Deputy Speaker said the Committee would convene another meeting as soon as possible with the involvement of other critical stakeholders in its efforts to find lasting solutions to the herdsmen’s challenges in the state.
Other members of the committee include the House Majority Leader, Emeka Nwaobi, Minority Leader, Dafe Emakpor, Chief Whip, Perkins Umukoro, Deputy Majority Leader, Festus Okoh, Majority Whip, Bernard Odior and Hon Pereotu Oloye who represents Burutu 2 constituency in the House.
