Herdsmen/farmers: Osun govt suggests traditional way of settlement

Osun state government has suggested a traditional way of settlement for ending the killing by the dreaded Herdsmen in the country.
The Commissioner for Special Duties and Chairman, Committee on Peaceful Co-existence between Fulani/Bororo and Crop Farmers in the state, Mr. Mudashiru Toogun, said Osun state has not recorded any killing due to its traditional approach.
He said the state has been proactive in using traditional way of settlement which he described as the best approach to the drastic issue.
Toogun who spoke with newsmen in Osogbo, the state capital on the effort of the state government to end herdsmen killing, maintained that there is no state that can solely find a lasting solution to the problem of herdsmen.
He said that his committee has settled 6,000 cases between Fulani/Bororo and farmers since 2014 when the committee was inaugurated.
He opined that the crisis would boomerang if it is not properly and carefully handled, saying “herdsmen crisis is now worse than Boko Haram.
“We have surveillance in all the area where the nomadic herdsmen usually enter the state. We have sent more than ten sets of them back. We are not forcing them. Once they say they are from Niger Republic or any other place, we sent them back.
“We are also using a security group called “Dan Allah” who will ask a suspect to swear on Holy Quran and whoever steal after swearing would die before 24 hours.
“We are working with the monarchs and the house of assembly members. Only that we don’t have holiday and we don’t have festival.
He faulted claim that the herdsmen are from the Northern part of Nigeria, saying those that are killing people are Bororo who are from neighbouring countries.
“The nomadic herdsmen are the deadly ones. They move anytime of the day with sophisticated weapon. They are violent. They are difficult to arrest because they rear cows that belonged to the elite, politicians, both serving and former leaders.
Speaking on the anti-grazing law, Toogun opined that enactment of anti-grazing law would further fuel the crisis.
Citing example of Benue, Ekiti and other states, he said “I’m not totally in support of the anti grazing law. We have about 3 million cattle in Osun, there has not been any killing.
However, Toogun stressed that the Federal Government would solve the problem within three months if they are serious and ready to solve it.

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