A pressure group, New Nigerian Initiative(NNI), on Tuesday staged a protest in Benin to demand quick enactment of the anti-grazing law in Edo State as directed by the 17 Southern Governors at the Asaba declaration in May, 2021.
The group therefore called on the Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki and the Edo State House of Assembly to quickly enact the law in the state.
Recall that the 17 southern governors had at a meeting in Asaba, Delta State capital, agreed that the 17 southern states should before the 1st of September pass the anti-grazing bill into law to checkmate the menace of killings and kidnappings by Fulani herdsmen.
Speaking at the protest at the secretariat of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Edo State Council, chairman of the group, Comrade Uwadiae Odigie, said the unspeakable horror being perpetuated by Fulani herdsmen on peaceful and law abiding people of Edo State was no longer acceptable.
He urged the Edo State Governor, the State House of Assembly to promptly pass the bill to ban open grazing in the state.
“This organization, moved by the unspeakable horror being perpetuated on peaceful and law abiding people of Edo State, it is on record that the New Nigerian Initiative initiated a bill on the need to “Ban open grazing in Edo State,” and it has since been sent to the the Edo State House of Assembly for consideration and passage.
“After waiting in vain, we made spirited efforts to see the his Excellency, Governor Godwin Obaseki on the need for intervention, at the end of the day, we were directed to see the PS in the Ministry of Agriculture
“We have been mounting pressure on the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Hon. Marcus Onobun, on the urgent need to pass the bill to ban open grazing in Edo State, but all efforts have been abortive.
“Now, it has been transparently and sufficiently established that the Fulani Herdsmen are the ones unleashing terror and fear in Edo State by the horrible and shocking cases of the late Jide Sowore and the recent kidnapping of the elder statesman, Dickson Imasogie and other isolated cases.
“We are worried about the inability of Edo State Government to respond to this most cold blooded and calculated monsters, Fulani Herdsmen, who have turned the state into a sanctuary for barbarism,” he concluded.