Posted by The Open-Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law of Benue State is still fully operational, according to Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, the governor of the state.
Alia made the announcement on Monday during an event with union representatives from around the state held at the old Banquet Hall in Makurdi’s Government House.
According to him, the main purpose of the contact was to update the unions on national and state events while also expressing his gratitude for their support of his administration.
Governor Alia urged the unions to maintain amicable relations with one another and to resolve their differences amicably, rather than resorting to litigation.
He admonished them to stay strong and resist the temptation to be used to undermine the state’s stability.
According to Governor Alia, herders from neighboring countries like the Niger Republic were invited to return to Benue, where the anti-open-grazing prohibition and ranches establishment law were supposedly relaxed, due to a recent influx of herders and their cattle.
Nonetheless, it saddens me greatly because the security report has it on good authority that specific individuals are to blame for the herdsmen’s invasion of the state.
“Nothing is going to happen because they went to such lengths as to invite the herders to come in from Nigerien. The law they had in Benue before is still in effect,” he explained.
The governor, on the other hand, has reassured the state’s citizens that the law remains unchanged and is fully operational.
“The Anti-Open Grazing law is still in place,” he emphasized, “my dear people of Benue.” He made this claim based on reliable sources.