News
South West Govs, Afenifere Differ On Anti-grazing Law Enforcement
Published
2 years agoon
By
Editor
South-West governors and a pan-Yoruba organisation, Afenifere, have differed over the enforcement of the anti-grazing law by states in the region.
While the state governments insisted that the law had always been implemented in their various states, Afenifere explained that enforcing the already enacted laws would stop the incessant invasion of the herders who often fed their cattle with farm produce of the farmers.
Apart from the Ekiti State Government which enacted the Anti-grazing law in 2016, Osun, Ogun, Oyo, Lagos and Ondo states okayed the law in 2021.
Despite the existing law, herdsmen still engage their cattle in open grazing in the South-West region.
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In March 2023, farmers in Ido-Ekiti in Ido-Osi Local Government Area called on Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State to enforce the anti-grazing law against invaders of their farms.
However, the state government maintained that the state was implementing the anti-grazing law enacted in the state and that the Herder’s Farmers Peace Committee inaugurated by Governor Biodun Oyebanji was part of the implementation process.
The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Ebenezar Boluwade, added that the state government was meeting with stakeholders to ensure that the committee brought new initiatives and development into the farming community.
In Ondo State, the Special Adviser on Security Matters to the state governor, Adetunji Adeleye revealed that right from its inception in 2020, the law had been effective in the 18 local government areas of the state.
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Adeleye, who spoke with The PUNCH, added that several defaulters had been lawfully punished.
He said, “We prosecuted some of the suspects recently, they are going to jail and the standard is that; they will compensate the farmers and pay the government fines as an alternative to going to jail. Initially, we used to have up to 5,000 petitions on the herdsmen destroying farmers farms but we now have less than 100 even as low as 10. So, the law is very much effective in Ondo State.”
In Lagos State Government, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, told one of our correspondents that unlike other states in the region, Lagos was not affected by grazing problems, saying, “One thing you must know is that Lagos is not a state that has the kind of grazing problem that other states have.”
In Ogun State, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Dapo Abiodun, Mr Lekan Adeniran, maintained that the implementation of the anti-open grazing law was the responsibility of the police and other security agencies, noting that it was their duty to enforce any law made by the government.
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Meanwhile, Afenifere has called on the six governors from the region to facilitate an immediate enforcement of the anti-grazing law.
The group explained that enforcing the already enacted anti-grazing laws would stop the incessant invasion of the cattle herders who often fed their cattle with the crops and farm produce of farmers.
In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the organisation, Mogaji Gboyega Adejumo, the six governors of Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Lagos, Ondo, and Ekiti States were urged to commit their pledge to the establishment of cattle ranches across the region, saying it would represent “the inimitable values of the Yoruba as a people embedded with the mechanism to resolve even the most difficult of issues with irrepressible ease.”
The statement partly read, “The Afénifére enjoins the six governors of the South-West to, at some point, make a definite pledge to commit to the establishment of cattle ranches across all Yoruba speaking states.
“Also in the same guise, and as a matter of urgency, our governors must do more to protect our farmers, subsistence and commercial, from being preyed upon by the so called “cattle-grazers”, whose intent are very doubtful, and from there mode of operation, are often killers of our people.”
PUNCH
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News
Sanwo-Olu makes U-turn, Unblocks Lawyer Who Sued Him Over Blocking On X
Published
4 hours agoon
September 13, 2025By
Editor
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has unblocked human rights lawyer, Festus Ogun, on X after a meeting with him at Lagos House, Marina, on Friday.
The lawyer, who had accused the governor of rights violations, announced the development in a post on his X account on Saturday.
According to him, Sanwo-Olu personally invited him for a brief meeting to address his complaints.
“Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has unblocked me on X (Twitter). I met briefly with him yesterday at Lagos House Marina, on his invitation, to amicably resolve my complaint of human rights violations. We will continue to hold authorities accountable, regardless. Aluta continua!” Ogun wrote.
READ ALSO:Lawyer Sues Sanwo-Olu For Blocking Him On X
Tribune Online reports that Ogun had earlier filed a suit against Sanwo-Olu at a Federal High Court in Lagos, accusing him of violating his fundamental rights by blocking him on his verified X account.
In the suit marked FHC/L/CS/1739/25, which he shared on Facebook, the lawyer claimed the governor blocked him over his 2021 “constructive criticisms” and “demand for accountability” on the October 2020 #EndSARS killings.
“In 2021, I noticed that the Governor blocked me on his official X handle @jidesanwoolu owing to my constructive criticisms of his policies and demand for accountability in respect of the October 2020 #EndSARS Massacre.”
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Ogun said the action has prevented him from accessing vital government updates and information.
“Blocking me on X has prevented me from accessing public updates and receiving information about policies and governance in Lagos, which constitutes a violation of my right to receive information without interference,” he said.
In his originating summons, he asked the court to declare the move unconstitutional, arbitrary, and discriminatory.
News
Tragedy Deepens As Prime Suspect in Taraba Student’s Death Found Dead
Published
4 hours agoon
September 13, 2025By
Editor
The investigation into the death of Comfort Jimtop, a 100-level Mass Communication student at Taraba State University, has taken a dramatic turn following the discovery of the lifeless body of Emmanuel Kefas, the prime suspect in the case.
Kefas’s body was discovered on Friday in the Tudiri community, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area, under unclear circumstances, intensifying public concern and adding a tragic dimension to a case that has already gripped the university community and residents across Taraba State.
Confirming the development on Saturday, the spokesperson for the Taraba State Police Command, James Lashen, said the police received a report from the village head of Tudiri about the discovery.
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“A lifeless body was found in Tudiri, and a Tecno Android phone was recovered beside it,” Lashen stated.
“Upon charging the phone, investigators found a photograph showing the deceased with the late Comfort Jimtop, suggesting they were in a romantic relationship.”
Lashen added that the body has been taken to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Jalingo for autopsy. At the same time, efforts are ongoing to officially identify the remains through the suspect’s family.
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Police have yet to determine whether Kefas’s death was the result of suicide, homicide, or an accident. Investigations into both deaths are continuing.
Comfort Jimtop’s mysterious death had earlier sparked outrage on campus and across the state, with students and rights groups demanding justice. Kefas was named a prime suspect in the case, which remains open.
This latest development has left many unanswered questions and deepened the grief surrounding the case.
Students, residents, and civil society groups are closely monitoring the situation, calling on authorities to ensure a thorough investigation and bring clarity to the tragic chain of events.
News
Ossiomo, Chinese Impasse: This Is Our Story — Management
Published
6 hours agoon
September 13, 2025By
Editor
The management of Ossiomo Power Plant has cleared the air on the dispute between its Chinese partners and the circumstances surrounding the shutting down of the power plant early this month.
Representative of Ossiomo management, Engineer Festus Evbuomwan, during an interactive session with customers on the impasse between the two partners, said contrary to the rumour making the rounds, the management of Ossiomo Power Plant had paid over ₦2bn to its Chinese partner — Jiangsu Communication Clean Energy Technology (CCETC) — since the power plant started operation.
Recall that representative of CCETC who identified himself as Mr. ‘W’ had, during a telephone phone interview two weeks ago, claimed that “instruction to shutdown was because we lost lots of money and did not get any return on investment,” adding that “all the $20m investment was done by us including the distribution lines.”
But Evbuomwan during the interactive session, said the management was not aware of the $20m investment the Chinese partner claimed, just as he disclosed that “when they generate power, we sell and pay them.”
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He disclosed that after shutting down the power plant, the Chinese partners came up with a request of ₦185m to be paid to two Chinese not known to the management, stressing that this was declined.
According to him, the Chinese partner, having seen how lucrative the business is, “went to some quarters and raised some issues probably thinking they can manoeuvre us with the help of some big persons, so that they can use their machines to generate power and sideline us but this is not possible.”
“The Chinese partners also claimed that they borrowed $20m from their native land to invest, we are not aware of such investment, and we do not know where the money was invested up till now.
“They have been also saying they have not been receiving anything, but I want to tell you unequivocally that first, the partners run a joint account where their investment is going into. More so, The Chinese partners have received over ₦2bn so far for the power they generate with their machines. When they generate the power, we sell and pay them.”
READ ALSO: Five Years After, Edo Govt Reconnects To BEDC As Ossiomo Shut Down
Engr. Evbuomwan, while apologising to customers for the power outage caused by the dispute between the two partners, said Ossiomo had started power generation though not in full capacity, assuring that power generation would be fully restored soon.
“We have purchased turbines, and one have started working. They are working on the second one, so, by the time our five turbines start working we will be in full capacity. Even with that, those connected to the government may not be reached immediately. This is because the government bought the poles and contracted the wiring, and we cannot force the government to do our bid. Also, we are making efforts to site 33kva transformer along Airport Road and Lagos Road as soon as possible, so that our customers there will get power.”
He said the Edo State government does not have a stake in the company, just as he appealed to the “government to let us supply power to customers in through their Lines. I want to emphasise that Ossiomo is not completely shut down.”
He further urged the “government to encourage the Nigerian citizens to invest and not to work against local investors.”
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