Grazing |
A bill for a law to
establish the Edo State Cattle Rearing and Grazing Agency on Tuesday
passed second reading on the floor of the Edo House of Assembly.
Bright Osayande
(APC-Ovia North East 11), who led the debate for the passage of the
bill, said the incessant killing of defenseless farmers and the needless
destruction of crops by herdsmen was a call for concern.
"The criminal
activities of these herdsmen have earned the group the reputation of
being the fourth most dreaded group, according to the Global Index for
Terrorism (GIT).
"Their activities
have taken a different dimension as the herdsmen now take their cattle
to school premises for grazing," he said.
Mr. Osayande drew
the attention of the house to a newspaper publication, which drew global
attention to the herdsmen's invasion of Ohovbe primary school in Ikpoba
Okha Local Government Area of the state.
He called on the
lawmakers to make deliberate efforts at giving members of the public a
feeling of protection by regulating the activities and menace of
herdsmen through stiff penalties.
On his part,
Majority Leader of the house Foly Ogedengbe spoke of the need to hold a
public hearing on the issue, adding that it was high time government
criminalized the unrestrained behavior of the herdsmen.
Other lawmakers argued in favour of the passage of the bill. The Speaker, Justin Okonoboh, decried the spate of incessant killings resulting from clashes between farmers and herdsmen.
Mr. Okonoboh emphasised the need for a public hearing with a view to engendering robust contributions to the bill.
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