The Senate has declared its resolve to make legislation that would end farmers and Fulani herdsmen’s conflict in Nigeria.
The Senate Leader, Ali Ndume who represented the Senate President at a one day Public hearing on a motion, “Tackling the perennial conflicts between farmers and Cattle Herdsmen,” stated that it calls for worry by well meaning Nigerians that there was now no love lost between farmers and Nigerians which was responsible for clashes across the country.
He stressed that the executive arm of government was doing a lot to solve the problem of incessant clashes, but such could only be realized if there was adequate laws that support government efforts, hence, the National Assembly will come up with enabling laws in that regard.
“We were quite aware of President Buhari’s effort at ending farmers and Herdsmen’s Conflict across the country, but this can be realized with statutory which the Senate will not waste to do,” he assured.
On his part, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, Chairman, Joint Senate Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development and National Security and Intelligence attributed some clashes to marauders who disguised as Fulani Herdsmen whose activities have elicited public condemnations in the recent past.
Citing the ugly incident of Chief Olu Falae’s Kidnapping, Abdullahi argued that criminals were hiding under the umbrella of herdsmen to perpetrate the Act, noting that not all herdsmen were Fulani.
Adamu added that those issuing ultimatum to cattle herdsmen to leave their zone in some parts of the country should desist as such was an obvious way to disintegration of the country.
According to him, there was grazing reserve in the past, but was taken over by land owners and pressures as a result of desert encroachment which was responsible for migration of cattle readers down South.
“As a result of beliefs that those rearing cattle are Fulani, there were people issuing ultimatum by asking herdsmen to leave their zone, this is not healthy for the unity of this country and it should be stopped,” he maintained.
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