Herdsmen kill more than COVID-19 - Cleric

By BOLU-OLU ESHO, Akure

Founder and General Overseer of Success Gate C &S Christ’s Church Int’l, Ibode Aseyori, His Grace, Primate (Dr.) Ade Ademisokun-Turton, has described the activities of the Fulani herdsmen as heinous, saying they had killed more people than COVID-19 had done.

He stated this in Akure, the Ondo State capital on Sunday while reacting to the anti-open grazing bill being submitted by Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to the state House of Assembly.

Welcoming the development, the Primate described as primitive the nomadic grazing system which had led to clash between farmers and herdsmen in different parts of the nation.

According to the minister of God, “With that Bill, it is very important that when you consider how many people killed by COVID-19 in Nigeria, it’s nothing compare to the people that have been killed by herdsmen.

“It is a very welcome development even overdue. All over the world nobody moves cattle around, it’s a very shameful and disgraceful when you see these cattle crossing the roads and vehicles will be stopping for them.

“The attitude of these herdsmen obviously shows that they are acting on some certain script, working on certain instruction, they are so confident on instruction of certain politicians, working on certain category of instruction.”

The cleric noted that as the bill is being debated, there should be a mobile court that would try the culprits.

He said going through regular court may undermine the focus of the law due to loads of pending cases in the regular court.

“If there is an Executive Order that is trying people with mobile court, there should be a mobile court to try whoever contravene the anti-ope grazing law when passed and assented to.”

“This is because going to regular court is like allowing people who give them the cows to continue to use their influence to undermine the law.”

“Culprits should be tried summarily because this is stronger than the pandemic we are fighting.

“Drastic situation requires drastic measure. The mobile court is very important and must not left out of it. People should be dealt with summarily, then we will now know that criminality is not good,” the cleric said.

Dismissing the call for government to provide land for herdsmen, the minister of God said herders should buy land for themselves because it’s their personal business.

Dr. Ademisokun-Turton said: “It would be unreasonable on the part of government to provide alternative land for herdsmen for rearing their cows.

“If they want to do business, they should do it legitimately. In Akure here, for example, few years ago, it is part of the tradition in our community that goats, pigs and others did roam about the streets, but there was a law that your domestic animals cannot roam the streets again and it was effective.

“So, those who want to do business should go and acquire land by themselves not that government will provide land for them. They don’t give land for Church to erect their buildings. How would government start giving land to herdsmen for rearing of their cows? This attitude is not sustainable, it is shameful and ridiculous, the whole world is watching.

“The duty of the government is to regulate and create enabling environment, those who want to buy land should buy it and people will come to them to buy cows. But you don’t move it around the streets, farms to destroy people’s property.” (Sunday Independent)