•Urge S’West governors to expedite actions on ranching
By Ouseye Ojo
Yoruba youths across the six states of Oyo, Ogun, Lagos, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti in the South West have demanded an end to open grazing in the geo-political zone.
The youngsters, under the aegis of Yoruba Afenifere Youth Organisation of Nigeria (YAYON), made the demand yesterday during the South West and other Yoruba Speaking States Security Summit, held at the House of Chiefs, Parliament Building, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, Oyo State.
The group tasked Governor Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo) and Abiodun Oyebanji (Ekiti) to emplace effective strategies to implement anti-open grazing laws in Yorubaland.
The organisation, however, appealed to the governors to expedite actions on ranching for livestock farmers to prevent attacks between crop farmers and herdsmen, towards ensuring food security in Yorubaland, and save crops farmers from incessant losses that they have been sustaining based on grazing cows on their plantations.
It also called on the Federal Government to evolve strategies to prevent trans-border herdsmen from entering Nigeria with their cattle, raising concerns that they have been wreaking havoc on farms by grazing their cows on them.
Speakers on the occasion included National President of YAYON, Eric Oluwole; Chairman, All Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (AFAN), South West, Adewumi Abass; and Zonal Chairman, Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Oyo and Osun states, Otunba Obafemi Arowosola
A communique issued at the end of the security summit, and signed by Eric Oluwole, called for an urgent need for coordinated efforts among key stakeholders to develop a strategic, intelligence-driven communication system and implement sustained, security-focused actions across the South West and beyond.
“We express deep concern over the recent surge in violent attacks, kidnappings and widespread destruction of property, especially farmlands by misguided herdsmen, across the South West. These incidents pose a severe threat to human lives, disrupt economic activities, food security, discourage local and foreign investment and undermine confidence in public institutions,” the communique stated.
The summit also advocated setting up of South West Joint Security Task Force that would comprise representatives from the Nigeria Police Force, military, DSS, Amotekun Corps, local vigilantes, Civil Defence, local hunters and other security agencies.
It also called for creation of central command and communication centre to coordinate intelligence sharing and rapid response operations. It added that a centralised security incident reporting platform accessible to all agencies and stakeholders should be implemented, while Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to guide inter-agency collaboration and community engagement should be developed.