Africa-Press – Nigeria. The Benue State government said it has impounded 376 cows from heavily armed herdsmen for violating the state’s anti-open grazing law.
The state Deputy Governor, Benson Abounu, made this known to newsmen in Makurdi on Wednesday.
He said the cows were impounded by the state’s livestock guards between January 23 and 26, 2021, at Kasima in Guma Local Government Area of the state.
Abounu, who also said that six herdsmen had been arrested and handed over to the police, expressed worries over massive influx of herders and their cows on the bank of River Benue in Agatu and Gwer West areas of the state.
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He said while the state security council was still investigating the declaration made by Nasarawa State governor of the presence of Boko Haram at Benue/Nasarawa border, “we noticed massive deployment of herdsmen on the brink of River Benue.”
Abounu went on to say, “We also observed that a good number of these people are heavily armed, many of them with AK 47 riffle. We have been able to apprehend a good number of them in a village called Kasima in Guma Local Government Area.
“On January, 23, 156 cows belonging to these herdsmen were apprehended, and on the 26 of this month, another 220 cows were apprehended from the same vicinity.
“It was observed that the herdsmen were not ordinary herdsmen because they were heavily armed.”
He warned herders against disobeying the state anti-open grazing law, insisting that the law had come to stay.
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