Ondo Amotekun impound 10,000 cows in three years
The Ondo State Security Network Agency (Amotekun Corps) said it impounded over 10,000 cows in the last three years.
It said the implementation and enforcement of the anti-open grazing law in the state helped to keep activities of herders at bay.
Commander of the Ondo Amotekun Corps, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, who spoke at the weekend, assured that incessant herders/farmers clashes in the state were now a thing of the past.
Akogun Adeleye said clashes between farmers and herders was one of
the biggest challenge he was confronted with, saying farmers used to live in fear.
He identified education and enlightment by the security outfit between the herders and farmers helped to ending conflicts thereby reducing food insecurity in the state.
“The farmers had completely left their farms for fear of being killed, kidnapped, and again, those that invested had all their crops destroyed.
“We also had close to 20,000 petitions within six months. So, we started by mass education of both the herders and the farmers, explaining the limitation of each group.
“We told them, farmers, you can farm, but don’t take laws into your hands by killing cows. Herders, you have a right to graze your cows, but you don’t have a right to disrupt the business of the other group, which is farming, so don’t destroy their crops. Where it happens, we mediate.
“So, after that, we brought in the leadership of the farmers and the Miyetti Allah together, and we told them what the government want because at that time, there was serious food insecurity in the state, generally in the country, and because people were no longer going to farm.
“The government wanted people to go back to farms. We were able to restore normalcy within a year, though very difficult.
“So, we approached the government, and graciously, the House of Assembly and the state government came up with the anti-open-grazing law, which is in force up to today.
“I can tell you that it really enhanced our operations and brought down farmers-herders clashes because as part of the anti-open-grazing law, there is a total ban on night grazing,” he said
