The Ondo state governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has reiterated his administration’s resolve to protect the lives and property of citizenry in the state.
Speaking in Akure, Ondo state capital, while receiving the pastorate of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry led by the state Overseer, Pastor Jacob Asubiojo, Akeredolu noted that the efforts made on Amotekun Security Corps and the outlawing of open grazing were not targeted at anyone.
He stated that the need to protect the people and their properties and ensure mutual understanding informed the development.
Governor Akeredolu said although the recent anti-grazing law put in place in the state was not pleasing to some people, he vowed to stand by it and ensure that farmers are saved from losing their farm crops as a result of the outdated open grazing practice.
He said members of the Miyetti-Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria in the state are ready to cooperate with his administration on the open grazing ban.
The governor also announced that the state government is partnering with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to train herders on feedlot.
Akeredolu saying: “I want to urge you to intensify your prayers for us. We need it. You have referred to our efforts in trying to secure this our homeland. We have made efforts, we established Amotekun and banned open grazing.
“It is not what is pleasing to everybody. Some people are not pleased with us. We are ready to stand by it and face whatever it will cost us. Pray for us. Amotekun and the anti-open grazing law are not pleasing to some people and they are gathering together, planning evil. Pray for us. Their evil will not work.
“What we are saying is that your herds can not keep destroying our crops. The FAO has come and we have discussed it. The Miyetti-Allah here in Ondo appears to want to cooperate with us because they know that when their cows destroy crops, we seize their cows and they pay the farmers before they are released.
“The FAO will train them on how to do feedlot. They will be trained to make feed and take it to the cows. We are not discriminating against anybody.
“We just want to make it clear that you can’t make your own ends meet and destroy other people’s source of livelihood. We know your prayers are very important to us. We need it,” the governor stated.
In a similar development, the operatives of the Ondo state Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun, have arrested three herdsmen and 180 cows for flouting the state government’s anti-open grazing law.
The state Commander of the Corps, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, said this in Akure, the state capital,
He said the herders and cows were arrested around Oke Ala area of Akure.
Adeleye said: “We arrested about 180 cows. They are in our custody as we speak. We intend to release them to the owners after complying with the regulations as contained in the anti-open grazing law.
“We have also detained the three herders arrested with the cows. Their boss has been invited and is around now, so we are dealing with the boss now.”
