Senate asks Defence Minister to withdraw statement on Anti-open Grazing Law

The Senate on Wednesday asked the Minister of Defence, Brig-Gen Mansur Dan-Ali (rtd), to withdraw the statement credited to him that implementation of the anti-open grazing laws enacted by some states should be suspended to reduce tension.

This followed a point of order raised by Senator Barnabas Gemade (Benue North East), who criticised the minister for attributing the incessant killings in Benue and Taraba States to the anti-open grazing laws enacted by the state governments.

Defence minister had on Tuesday at a meeting of security chiefs with President Muhammadu Buhari at Aso Rock called for the suspension of the implementation of anti-open grazing law to douse the tension between farmers and herders.

Objecting to the minister’s position,  Gemade expressed concern over the spate  of killings in his senatorial district, especially with the recent killing of seven people in Kwande local government area of Benue State

According to him, while we are looking up to government and security agencies for protection, we get dismayed by the attitude of those who lead these security forces.

“It was very strange to me that in the mind of the Minister of Defence, the only way he can solve the problem of hundreds and thousands of people being killed in the states of Benue and Taraba is that the law they made against open-grazing of cattle should be removed so that anarchy can go on as it was the case before”.

Gemade further submitted: “we know that farmers and herders need the land but there should be a way where a law will be enacted to ensure that one person is using the land according to law”.

The Senate unanimously granted Gemade’s request and asked the defence minister to withdraw the statement