Obiano: Armed herders are criminals — Anambra won’t tolerate them

Willie Obiano, governor of Anambra, has described armed herders as criminals.

There has been growing criticism of herders carrying guns following clashes with farmers in many parts of the country.

Bala Mohammed, Bauchi governor, had recently come under criticism for saying herders carry weapons because they need to protect themselves.

Commenting on the discourse, Obiano said Anambra is conducting a census of herders, and will not tolerate itinerant herders.

“We have done census of herders in Anambra state last year, and they were 77 in number. We are doing a new one now, and after the census, we will never allow itinerant herdsmen to come in again,” he said at a stakeholder meeting on Tuesday.

“The ones causing trouble are not here (Anambra), they come in from outside. Also, we have heard reports of herdsmen who carry arms. Any herdsmen carrying arms is a criminal, and we will not tolerate that. If you find them, report them because they are criminals.

“We have prosecuted some in the past. We will not allow itinerant herdsmen to pass through Anambra after the census. We will have the names, phone numbers and addresses of all herdsmen in Anambra, and we will be holding meetings with them at intervals.”

Thanking the security agencies for “keeping Anambra safe,” Obiano said security remains a priority for him.

He said his government has distributed over 520 vehicles to security agencies in the state and provided a designated petrol station where they go to take fuel “to avoid saying you don’t have fuel when you get distress calls”.