Herdsmen killings: The Nigerian Federal Government not taking advantage…

By Leke Akinrowo

MaTaZ ArIsInG
Dallas, Texas

There’s a saying about never allowing a crisis go to waste. We currently have a herdsmen killings crisis which Government can readily exploit for national development. But conspiracy theories are not allowing us face and address the issues confronting us as regards these herdsmen killings all over the country. When we conclude it’s a grand plan by the unstoppable Fulani force to overrun the whole country, then we lose the will to confront it.

I think the criminal Fulani who hide under cattle herding to kidnap, rape, and extort other Nigerians are simply exploiting a national regulatory weakness.

We can address these issues by following these three regulatory steps:

1. Registration. Let government put regulations in place that require all herdsmen to register and carry their registration IDs with them wherever they go. In registering, they must also register the names of the owners of the cows they’re herding around. If any of the herders is caught in an infraction anywhere in the country, the owners of the cows will be as guilty as the herders. Fines will be paid by the owners of the cows, and if there’s a court case, the owners of the cows as well as the offending herders will both face justice in court.
2. Phase out open-grazing. Once we know the owners of the cows all over the country, they must now be encouraged to build ranches. Within the first two years, there will be a moratorium for open grazing during which cattle owners will be given incentives to build their own ranches. Ranch establishment loans will be made available within the two years and other incentives will be provided to encourage cattle owners to set them up. Government or private individuals can also build ranches for rent or lease to cattle owners. After two years, any one caught in open grazing will be fined heavily. Every cow caught in open grazing will be surcharged ₦50,000 or the cows will be forfeited to the state government where they’re caught.
3. Criminalise unhealthy labour practices amongst herders. No Nigerian should be allowed to roam the bushes on foot from the North to the South in the name of work. Children who should be in school should not be caught roaming the bushes whether day or night. Their parents and the cattle owners will be penalised for such unhealthy labour practices. Even in ranches, if children will be used there as a vocation, they must first go to school in the morning and return to the ranch after school and homework.

I believe these measures will curb the menace of marauding herdsmen. There are no sufficient regulations for that sub-sector, so the criminal-minded amongst them are taking undue advantage of the loopholes to perpetrate crimes.

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