Wednesday, 11 May 2016

"Herdsmen killing people are not Fulani" - Minister of State for Agriculture, Lokpobiri tells Senate

Minister of State for Agriculture, Heineken Lokpobiri
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, told the Senate on Tuesday that most of the herdsmen involved in killings and destruction of property in different communities are not Fulani.

He said some of the herdsmen arrested do not speak any Nigerian language.

Senator Lopobiri made the revelations at a Senate investigative hearing on the perennial clashes between herdsmen and farmers.
“We believe that most of those involved in the clashes between herdsmen and farmers are not necessarily the Fulani. They could be another gang of Boko Haram who may not be Nigerians,” he told the Senators.
All seats in the hall were taken and those not lucky enough to get seats had to make do with standing to take part in the public hearing, a situation that showed the importance attached to the event.

The mayhem caused by herdsmen in different communities across the country, living a long trail of death and destruction, is a problem which the lawmakers and concerned Nigerians are trying to resolve.

He made some recommendations, which he hoped would address the problem.
“The best way to solve this problem will be the creation of ranches. If we create ranches, we will provide what the Fulani man is looking for,” he said.
Some other persons that gave their opinions on the issues kicked against the enactment of grazing bill into law and stressed that the creation of cattle routes and creation of ranches should not be the business of the government, insisting that it is a private sector driven business.

While the National Assembly and the Federal Government devise plans to address the clashes between herdsmen and farmers, the National Boundary Commission is asking the government to also consider some of the agreements which Nigeria is a signatory to, such as the ECOWAS protocol on free movement which guarantees free movement in West Africa.


Credit: Channels

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