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| Governor Rauf Aregbesola |
The Osun State Government has rejected the cattle
colony being proposed by the Federal Government to address the continuous
killing of farmers by Fulani herdsmen across the country.
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy in
Osun State, Mr. Adelani Baderinwa, said this in an interview with our
correspondent in Osogbo on Thursday.
He said Governor Rauf Aregbesola, had foreseen
the kind of herders-farmers’ crises being witnessed in many states and had since
established a committee comprising of government officials, farmers and
herdsmen to resolve whatever issue that might lead to conflict.
The committee, the commissioner said, had been in
existence for almost two years, saying it had resolved thousands of cases,
stressing that that was the reason why there had not been herder- farmers’
clashes in the state.
The commissioner said, “The truth is that we have
gone ahead of that long before the current crisis in some parts of the country
happened. We have a committee of Yoruba and Fulani which is overseeing the
issue of farm destruction by livestock and other related issues.
“There is understanding between the two
groups. The understanding is that no cattle rearer should graze their
livestock into any farm and if this happens, the herder will pay for the
destruction.
“If a new herder is entering into Osun from any
part of the country, such person will be taken to the head of the Fulani and he
will be registered and be included among those whose activities will be
monitored by the committee. Members of the committee know everyone and I
believe it is a great job.
“That is what we have put in place in order to
prevent this kind of crisis and it is working. We are hoping that there won’t
be any intruder to disrupt the peace we have been enjoying for more than one
and a half years. So, I don’t think that the proposed creation of cattle
colonies will be necessary for us in Osun State.”
Meanwhile, the Yoruba Socio Cultural Association
has called on the states in the South-West to enact laws to stop open grazing
in the geopolitical zone in order to stop killings and destruction of farms by
the Fulani herdsmen.
The National Coordinator of the YSCA, Mr. Hammed
Olalekan, said this in a separate interview with our correspondent on Thursday.
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