Ikpeazu: We’ll enforce open grazing ban in Abia… it’s now very imperative

Okezie Ikpeazu, governor of Abia, says it has become imperative for the state to enforce a ban on open grazing of cattle.

On Tuesday, governors of the southern region had resolved to ban open grazing and the movement of cattle by foot in the region.

Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state, had vowed to implement the southern governors’ resolution on open grazing.

The governors had said the decision was taken as part of efforts to improve security in the region.

Addressing journalists during a zoom meeting, on Saturday, Ikpeazu said a bill was already in place to enforce the ban and to check the activities of criminal elements disguising as nomads.

“We are now at the point of making sure that we enforce and implement it and even in doing that I must also share what I see as a challenge to the enforcement of that law,” Ikpeazu said.

“The law is in place and we are taking steps to enforce it.

“It has become imperative that we enforce that law strictly because we just noticed that we have big-time trouble in our hands.

“We have those that we refer to as criminal herdsmen; they are different from the ordinary herdsmen that we have been living with all these years.

“We now have in our mist bandits that have infiltrated from the rest of West Africa and other parts of Africa and their assignment is to come here rape, kill and kidnap people for money.

“It is now very imperative that we enforce that law.”