The Senate on Thursday expressed worry over the prolonged
deadly clashes between herdsmen and farmers in different parts of the country,
saying the trend portends grave danger to national security, national unity and
harmony among communities.
The upper chamber, while warning the federal government to establish ranches
and grazing reserves across the country, asked the government to check the
proliferation of arms and ammunition among the herdsmen.
It also condemned the criminal activities of some of the
herdsmen whom they said hid under the cover of the animal rearing to perpetrate
harrowing activities against settlers and their farmlands. It warned cattle
owners to ensure that the grazing of their cattle does not infringe on the rights
of farmers and consequently stall agricultural production.
Senator Chukwuka Utazi (Enugu North), who moved the motion,
said the perennial clashes have spread from East to the West, Middle-Belt to
the North as a result of the insensitivity of the herdsmen to economic and
cultural norms of farm owners.
According to him, the herdsmen lead their cattle to graze on
farmlands indiscriminately, resulting in destruction of farmlands and economic
sabotage adding that illegal possession of arms by the herdsmen culminates in
security breach.
He also observed that the trend culminated in armed robbery,
human savagery, rampant rape of innocent women and kidnapping of settlers,
warning that if the trend continued, it could result in political and economic
crises. He described the act as a threat to civilisation.
In his contribution, Senator Barnabas Gemade (Benue
North-east) recalled how the herdsmen had burnt houses and made their cows to
graze farmlands under their watchful eyes as he advocated the need to restrict
movements of criminal elements parading themselves as herdsmen through security
agencies.
Also contributing, Senator Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa
Central), claimed that the crisis was being fueled by the decisions of some
farmers to break into gazetted parks and reserved areas to farm. He said the
situation deprived Fulani herdsmen of the traditional places of grazing for
their cows.
In his remark, Senate President Bukola Saraki advocated the
need to put paid to the crisis by ensuring that there are grazing reserves
across the country.In another motion, Senator John Enoh (Cross River Central)
advocated the need to revive and resuscitate River Basin Development
Authorities (RBDAs) across the country, noting that Nigeria now solely relies
on one seasonal farming period which he said was inadequate to satisfy the
current food needs of the people.
Enoh, who further noted that Nigeria had vast arable farm
lands, abundant water and river basin resources that are capable of
guaranteeing farming activities throughout the year, recalled that the federal
government created 11 RBDAs in 1976 to provide water for irrigation and
domestic supply.
He said the essence of the creation of RBDAs was to use the
platforms as development models to forestall a drift from rural to urban
communities.
The Senate therefore advised the Minister of Water Resources
to tackle the crisis militating against the functioning of the RBDAs.
It also asked the Senate Committee on Water Resources to
inspect and assess the states of RBDAs across the country and report findings
to the parliament.
Meaanwhile, livestock coming into Borno State will from now
be escorted by the military in order to stop them from being rustled by
suspected Boko Haram terrorist group.
The main cattle
market and abattoir in the state capital Maiduguri were closed by the military
two weeks ago which made butchers to go on strike as they could not get beef to
sell.
After resolving the crisis, the state government on
Wednesday decided to release N100
million to members of Livestock Traders Association and Butchers (LTAB) in the
state to buy cattle and other livestock for slaughter and sale at the closed
Maiduguri cattle market and abattoir.
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