As part of efforts to encourage farmers and promote food production, the Ekiti State Government has announced the prohibition of underage herding and night grazing throughout the state.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters, Brig Gen Ebenezer Ogundana (retd), warned herders operating in the state not to make a mess of the government?s huge investment in agriculture, by allowing their flocks to invade and destroy farms.

Ogundana, who spoke in Ado Ekiti on Thursday during a stakeholders? meeting organised by the Ekiti State Farmers/Herders Peace committee, said the ban was to enforce the extant law.

He said it became imperative to bring peaceful coexistence and mutual understanding between farmers and pastoralists in the state.

The security adviser said, ?We have the Anti-Grazing Law which is an Act of the state House of Assembly.

?The law is to ensure that there is no grazing at night, prohibition of underage from grazing, no grazing on the farmlands and the defaulters are to be dealt with according to the law of the land.

?The government will henceforth invoke the full weight of the law on any underage found herding or anyone herding at night,? he said.

Ogundana said the committee he chaired was inaugurated by Governor Biodun Oyebanji in 2023, as part of efforts to bring a permanent end to farmers/herder clashes in the state.

He said, ?Since the government will not fold its arms and allow the lawlessness to continue, the Herders/Farmers Peace Committee was inaugurated by Governor Oyebanji in 2023.

?The committee is to interface between the herders and farmers. In addition, there are other policies and control measures put in place to strengthen the relationship between them.?

The security adviser called on traditional rulers, local government chairmen and representatives of farmers and herders to create a forum where they could dialogue on the need to be inter-dependent and invariably address the issue of suspicion, and trespasses by either party, as well as educate one another on the importance of abiding with the anti-grazing law of the state.

The Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Ebenezer Boluwade, said Oyebanji was set to invest in agriculture in 2025, hence the need to make adequate preparations towards ensuring the security and protection of farmers and farmlands from miscreants who come in the form of herders.

Boluwade said, ?This year alone, the government had invested over N2bn in agriculture,? stressing the importance of seeing the turnover to encourage both government and farmers to do more.

The state Commissioner of Police, Adeniran Akinwale, who spoke on behalf of the security agencies, commended Oyebanji?s efforts at ensuring peace and security.

The CP called on traditional rulers to take charge of the security of their domain by constituting security vigilantes to protect their communities.

The Chairman of Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers, represented by a former chairman of the traditional council and the Onisan of Isan Ekiti, Oba Gabriel Adejuwon, called on security agencies to be alive to their responsibilities.

He expressed trust In the government?s various commitments to ensuring peace and adequate security in the state. (The PUNCH)

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