An association of herders Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore has said that the ban of open grazing in Southern Nigeria by the governors in the region is a declaration of war on herders.
Seventeen southern governors gathered in Asaba, Delta State last week and made several resolutions, one of which is ban on open grazing.
The governors’ decision followed rising clashes between herders and farmers in the region. The leaders have also accused Fulani herders of perpetuating crimes in the region.
But the Miyetti Allah group’s spokesman Saleh Alhassan told PUNCH on Monday that the governors did not make provision for ranching before making the declaration.
“We condemn it, it is totally unacceptable to us. You can’t ban our business without providing ranches. Let them create ranches for us, we don’t have the land, we are ready to ranch, we are ready to pay, let them create the enabling environment for us,” Alhassan said.
“The ban is an empty policy because it has no basis. You can’t ban our business, we are not criminals, let them go after the bandits and the criminals.”
He added: “We can’t comply with an empty policy. If they create ranches and ask us to go there, we will go there but they can’t wake up one day and say they are banning our business.
“If the governors are stopping us from grazing, they are preparing for confrontation. Their action is a declaration of war on the herders.”
Alhassan threatened that the group would seek legal intervention if the ban is enforced.
Northern governors had gathered last year and agreed that open grazing was no longer feasible, though they did not ban the practice.
