Fayose arrests cow to indicate his determination to enforce new anti-grazing law in Ekiti

EKITI State governor Ayo Fayose has arrested a cow in Ikole-Ekiti as part of his determination to enforce the new State Anti Grazing Law in a bid to eradicate the practise of nomadic herdsmen walking their cattle across the state.

 

In late August, Governor Fayose signed a bill into law banning grazing in some areas of the state and treating offenders as terrorists. This Anti Grazing Bill, 2016 was introduced following the killing of two people by persons suspected to be Fulani herdsmen in Oke Ako, in Ikole Ekiti Local Government Area and criminalises grazing in forbidden places and at certain times across Ekiti State.

 

To enforce the law, Governor Fayose pursued some Fulani herdsmen found grazing in Ikole-Ekiti and when they fled, he arrested one of their cows left behind. Governor Fayose, who intends launching the Ekiti Grazing Enforcement Marshall (EGEM), soon, then ordered local youths to apprehend the cow.

 

Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose's spokesman, said: "Governor Ayodele Fayose demonstrated the seriousness of the State Anti Grazing Law by personally seeing to it that one of the cows was arrested by youths who chased the cows after the herdsmen ran into the bush upon seeing the governor’s security men. The remaining cows ran into the bush too.”

 

Apparently, during a visit to Ikole-Ekiti, Governor Fayose came across herdsmen along the Afao-Ekiti Road and decided to confront them. It is believed that the seized cow will now be slaughtered and given to local people to eat.