Ayodele Fayose, governor of Ekiti State, has on Monday, August 29, 2016 signed the Ekiti State Open Grazing Prohibition Bill into law.
The signing ceremony took place in the presence of over 3,000 traditional chiefs in the southwestern state.
Under the law, herdsmen are forbidden from carrying arms and movement of cows and other animals from one location to another is prohibited.
The law prescribes six months imprisonment without option of fine for any herdsman who violates the grazing prohibition while any herdsman found with arms will be charged with terrorism.
The passage of the bill followed the submission of a report of its joint committees on agriculture and environment by its chairman, Ayodele Fajemilehin, to the House.
The speaker of the house, Kola Oluwawole, who presided over the plenary, said the bill would now reduce the incessant clashes between farmers and herdsmen in the state.
A community in Ekiti State was attacked by Fulani herdsmen and two members of the village murdered. Governor Fayose responded to the attack by urging villagers to form vigilante groups which the governor would support to achieve its aim of ending terrorist killings in the state.
According to the new bill tagged, ”Prohibition of Cattle and Other Ruminants Grazing in Ekiti, 2016″, anyone found violating the bill upon conviction shall be sentenced to six months in prison without the option of fine.
Others included, “The Governor shall by an order designates land in each of 16 Local Government Areas in the state in respect of which Cattle or Ruminants may be permitted to graze.
The rest are,” No person shall cause or permit any cow, oxen, sheep as well as goat under his or her control to graze on any land in which the Governor has not designated as ranches” among others.
“No cattle or other ruminants shall by any means move in the night, movement shall be between 7 a.m and 6p.m”
