How far can Governor Darius Ishaku go in rescuing Taraba State from Fulani herdsmen with the instrumentality of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law? In this report, Fanen Ihyongo examines how the northeastern state is tackling its major headache.
CAN Governor Darius Ishaku end the incessant clashes between herdsmen and farmers across the state through the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law introduced by his administration? This is the question being asked by many residents of the state who are living witnesses to past efforts to deal with the problem with the provision of grazing routes for pastoralists.
With Nigeria’s population growing at a geometric progression, the need for land keeps expanding,not least for agricultural and livestock purposes.
Much of the land acquired in the past by government for grazing is understood to have now been claimed back by the original owners following government’s refusal to pay compensation ,or some people simply encroaching on the land for other purposes.
In some cases,troops were deployed to violence prone areas. But the troops could not remain there for eternity.Once they departed ,it was back to square one. The current wave of clashes between herders and farmers has now thrown up fresh ideas on how to end the problem,the most controversial being the cattle colonies. Ranching is another popular option.
The federal government wants interested states to provide 5000 hectares each for the colonies.
The word ‘colonies’ simply sounds repugnant ,abhorrent to Governors Darius Ishaku of Taraba State and Samuel Ortom of Benue State whose two states have been worst hit by the latest herdsmen killings.
Ishaku prefers ranching. Indeed,he had come out with an “Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law” which came into effect on January 24.
The law encourages ranches and criminalises open grazing.
He has the backing of farmers while herdsmen up in arms against it. They label it ‘a recipe for anarchy.’
Their representatives have gone to court to stop the enforcement of the law.
They are poised to reject the law by any means possible.
There is anxiety in the state already ahead of the hearing of the case.
Residents readily recall how previous clashes between farmers and herders ended: scores of people maimed and killed; houses, farmlands and farm produce set ablaze.
As it is in Taraba,so it is in Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa and Adamawa States.
The fear of Fulani herdsmen is the beginning of wisdom.
The people of Taraba cacnot help wondering whether the security agencies will be able to handle the situation once the law takes off.
Only penultimate Friday, 55 people were gruesomely killed in parts of the state by herdsmen using sophisticated guns, machetes and poisoned knives.
Sources said the killer-herdsmen, mostly hired mercenaries without homes, invaded at night setting homes ablaze, before disappearing into darkness like guerrilla fighters. The 68 bodies recovered by the police and soldiers were given hurried mass burial by aggrieved youths amid fear of fresh raids by the herdsmen.
Unlike in Benue where the dead were buried in brown caskets, the Taraba victims- mostly children, women and elderly persons -were laid to rest without coffin and in shallow graves.
The graves were dug with blunt hoes and shovels to dig the graves.
The bodies, swollen, were recovered from burnt houses, bush paths and farmlands.
A week after the mass burials, no fewer than 28 persons, including a traditional ruler, were killed by Fulani herdsmen in the State.
Farmers accuse the herdsmen of provocation by allowing their cattle to feast freely on their crops.They claim the herdsmen go about with AK-47 rifles and double edged machetes with which they unleash terror.
The herdsmen, in turn, accuse farmers of rustling their cows.
Both sides want protection and compensation from the federal government.
The Taraba State government says it cannot allow the present situation to continue.
On May 17, 2017 Ishaku sent the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment bill to the State House of Assembly.
Opposition came from the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria which staged a protest. But several farmers’ associations demonstrated their support for the bill.
Speaker Abel Peter Diah took the bill to the public in the three senatorial districts for their input.
Jalingo, Wukari and Bali were venues of the sittings.
Because of the interest the bill generated, 91 memoranda were received prior to the public hearing which attracted massive turnout.
The majority of the people were in favour of passing the bill into law with necessary amendments.
After the public hearing, the committee on the bill, headed by Mark Useni, submitted its report and recommendations to the House.
The lawmakers subsequently adopted the report and passed the bill. Ishaku signed the anti-open grazing bill into law on July 24, 2017.
“The responsibility lies squarely on me to do all I can to find a lasting solution to the situation that has consumed hundreds of lives, farm produce, cattle and complete destruction of several communities,” he said on that occasion.
“The fact that the activities of these strange herdsmen have seemingly defied all solutions by the Nigerian security system is no excuse for the State government.
“With this burden in my heart, I feel the best thing this government needs to do is to enact a law that would regulate the movement of herdsmen and their cattle within Taraba State. This led to my decision to submit the anti-open grazing bill to the House of Assembly for consideration.”
As suggested by the House committee on the law, Ishaku gave six months as transition period from open grazing to ranching, with effect from July 24,2017. During the six-month period, all stakeholders were to carry out massive enlightenment and sensitisation of the people on the objectives and advantages of the law.
Thus, Ishaku inaugurated two committees to sensitise ranchers and farmers. The Ranchers Sensitisation Committee had the Galadima of Muri Lamido Tukur Abba Tukur as chairman and Hashimu Hammaawa as secretary. Members included Jalo Adamu Buba, Amos John, Nicholas Bala, Muhammad Danburam and a representative of the Miyetti Allah Breeders Association. The Farmers Sensitisation Committee had Abdulrahahman Biyams as chairman and Emmanuel Ukwen as secretary. Members were Salihu Kumba, Henry Jonah, Ibrahim Bitrus, Goodman Dahida and a representative of the All Farmers Association.
Both committees have been working with representatives of the Commissioner of Police, DSS, NSCDC Commandant and the Controller of Immigration.
The committees are to educate cattlemen and farmers to nurture a symbiotic relationship between them.
Pilot ranches were established in the three senatorial zones of the State before the law will finally come into force.
The governor said the land for ranching is enough.
Section 21(1) of the law makes it an offence for any person to openly graze livestock or move livestock other than in a motor vehicle without permit.
Offenders are liable to a fine of N50,000 or one-year imprisonment for a first offender.
Subsequent violations will attract a fine of N1 million or imprisonment of two years.
The State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, Sahabi Tukur, is of the view that the measures put in place by the State government are not enough to ensure herders have a smooth switch from their traditional open grazing to ranching.
He said ranching is a more challenging system of rearing cattle. According to him, ranching requires commitment of huge sums of money to acquire land and develop infrastructure for the benefit of the animals.
Tukur said they are exploring diplomatic and legal means of ensuring that the grey areas of the law are resolved amicably rather than taking to arms.
But Governor Darius Ishaku has reiterated that no amount of threats and or blackmail will stop the implementation of the Open Grazing Prohibition Law. He is insisting that the law was enacted to foster peaceful coexistence between farmers and herdsmen and therefore, it is unnecessary for anyone to try to stop it or inflame violence.
He said ranching is already being practiced in Gembu, Sardauna local government area, and does not understand why it will be difficult to replicate the practice across the State?
In his reaction, Ishaku explained that the open grazing prohibition law remains the only solution to the problem at hand, if all the parties must benefit, without clashes. He told The Nation that the idea of establishing colonies, as advocated by Sanusi and Fulani cattle breeders, was a scheme to colonise the territories belonging to farmers.
Governor Darius Ishaku’s media aide, Bala Dan Abu called on Miyyeti Allah to stop aggravating security situation in the country by his “inflammatory comments.”
He said: “The truth of the matter is that there has never been any genocide against Fulani in Taraba State. Rather, Fulani herdsmen are the ones killing innocent people.
Abu said Fulani elites might be giving wrong information about the crisis in Mambilla. He called on all to support the governor’s peace initiative, which he said, is aimed at promoting peace in the State.
He said that after the crisis on the Mambilla, the Fulani accused the chairman of the local government, John Yep, of taking sides with his Mambilla kinsmen and asked the governor to remove him.
“As a peace loving governor, Ishaku asked Yep to step aside to give way for investigation and he stepped down, and has not been given any appointment anywhere. Just recently, the investigative panel submitted its report which did not indict the suspended chairman, yet the governor has not recalled him.
“Sanusi wields a lot of influence, he should be careful about the things he says so as not to send wrong signals out there. There is no truth in his allegations,” he said.
Sanusi also said the anti-open grazing law will deepen the indigene/settler dichotomy and make herdsmen feel isolated. The monarch added that he had appealed to the Taraba State governor to delay the implementation of the law in the State but all his pleas had fallen on deaf ears.
But Governor Ishaku said the law means well. “It is imperative to once again assure all citizens that the anti-open grazing law is not directed at any tribe or religion. Cow ownership in Taraba State is not the exclusive preserve of any religion, tribe or group.
“Basically, the law wants to, among other things, change the mode of production of cattle for better yield. This is a step towards modernising cattle rearing, to keep with the world’s best tradition of cow production. Agriculture is undergoing a revolution, both in crop cultivation and animal production.
“This law was not enacted arbitrarily. We had public hearings and collated views, concerns and inputs of stakeholders across the State. We did that to enhance synergy between government and herders/farmers for a better people-centered law.”
