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Enough Is Enough! COAS Demands Law To End Open Grazing Across Nigeria
According to NIVONEWS, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, has urged the National Assembly to enact a law prohibiting open grazing, identifying it as a key step in addressing the recurring farmer-herder clashes, kidnappings, and violent attacks linked to marauding herdsmen.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
Speaking at the conclusion of the 3-Day National Summit on Nutrition and Food Security, organised by the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security with the support of development partners, Oluyede—represented by Maj. Gen. O.M. Dare, Executive Director of Nigerian Army Farms and Ranches Limited—argued that open grazing was no longer viable and must be replaced with modern alternatives.
He advocated for ranching as a sustainable solution and called for legislative action to back it, stating that banning open grazing and introducing structured ranching would serve as a non-kinetic tool to reduce insecurity. According to NIVONEWS, Oluyede emphasized that Nigeria’s growing population, environmental degradation, food insecurity, and poverty all contribute to heightened insecurity, making the situation urgent.
“The problem of food insecurity won’t be solved by deploying security forces alone. We must combine technology, community involvement, and practical policies. Ranching is key. We don’t expect the change to be abrupt—it will require government intervention, not brute enforcement,” he stated.
Addressing concerns about land availability for ranching, he clarified that the government would not seize ancestral lands and that ranches would only be developed in willing states. He proposed the use of pasture farms to produce feed for livestock in ranches, adding that implementing the ban on open grazing must be gradual and inclusive.
He reaffirmed the Nigerian Army’s commitment to maintaining peace and disclosed that it had created formations to specifically prevent farmer-herder conflicts.
Rear Admiral Yusuf Sani Idris, who represented the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, also spoke at the summit, noting that the Navy had established Admiralty Farms Limited, with operational farms in nearly all geopolitical zones. The farms, he said, provide both food and physical security, and there are plans to expand further.
On its part, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), through Assistant Commandant General Besong Michaels Ogar, reiterated its commitment to food security. He revealed that the NSCDC’s agro-rangers unit had resolved over 4,000 disputes between farmers and herders and backed the Army’s call for legislation to regulate herder-farmer relations.
According to NIVONEWS, the Chairman of the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, Hon. Chike Okafor, in his welcome address, commended the Armed Forces and intelligence agencies for their efforts in confronting violent groups and protecting farmers. He noted that without securing agricultural areas, other government interventions would have limited effect on nutrition and food security.
“Our farmlands are under siege from banditry, kidnappings, and vandalism. Over 40% of arable land lies abandoned in conflict-prone zones,” Okafor lamented, calling for joint task forces, protection of agro-infrastructure, and training for farmer cooperatives in surveillance.
In closing, he praised the Chief of Army Staff and other security leaders for deploying senior officers to the summit and engaging in meaningful dialogue with lawmakers and stakeholders. According to NIVONEWS, this collaborative engagement underscores the urgent need for policy-driven solutions to Nigeria’s food and security crises.
”NIVONEWS REPORTS”
Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has declared that he is no longer strictly aligned with either the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing himself instead as a “freelance politician.”....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
He made the statement on Thursday while hosting a delegation that included chieftains of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Peter Obi, along with other stakeholders from the South-East, in Bauchi State.
Mohammed said the engagement centered on political realignment and possible cooperation ahead of future elections, adding that he maintains no rigid attachment to any political platform at the moment.
He further noted that details of their discussions would not be made public for now.
“Neither PDP nor ADC is standing alone. I am a freelance politician now, and my party is also in limbo. We are looking up to the judiciary,” he said.
“We are all in the opposition, and this is a political discussion. We will not disclose everything we have discussed in terms of the details we have agreed on.
“We cannot operate without a platform. At the end of the day, the current political situation may even help unify us and improve our chances of winning elections.”
The governor also said Peter Obi’s visit reflected ongoing efforts to strengthen unity and build political bridges across regions.
He added that Obi’s message centered on national unity and a better future for Nigeria, describing the visit as significant and honourable for the state.
The Interim National Chairperson of the Labour Party (LP), Nenadi Usman, has stated that it may no longer be possible for the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to return to the party.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
Usman made this known on Wednesday during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme.
She explained that, in line with the Electoral Act, the party would close its membership register 21 days before its primaries, stressing that once that process is concluded, no fresh entries would be allowed.
According to her, Obi played a major role in elevating the party’s profile during the 2023 general elections, noting that his influence and political momentum remain unmatched.
“It will be too late for Peter Obi to come back to the Labour Party because once the register is closed, no one can come in through the back door,” she said.
“Obi actually took the party to greater heights in 2023. There is nobody who can match the momentum he generated. He convinced me and many others to join the Labour Party because we believe in equity and fairness.”
Meanwhile, the factional National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has blamed Obi and the Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, for the ongoing crisis within the party.
Abure made the allegation during an appearance on Arise Television on Wednesday, claiming that the internal dispute began after Obi and Otti reportedly established a caretaker committee in Umuahia.
Nineteen people have been confirmed dead while several others sustained injuries in two separate road crashes recorded in Edo and Taraba States.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
In Edo State, 12 persons lost their lives and 14 others were injured in a fatal crash that occurred over the weekend at Egono community along the Auchi–Ewu–Benin expressway.
The accident happened when a speeding truck conveying passengers and goods attempted a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre, lost control, and overturned.
The spokesperson of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Edo State, Patricia Onwochei, confirmed the incident, attributing it to wrongful overtaking.
She added that one of the victims had been buried, while 11 bodies were deposited at the St. Lazarus Hospital mortuary.
In a separate incident in Taraba State, seven persons, including two children and two women, died in a crash that occurred at about 4:40 pm on Tuesday in the Garbabi area of Gashaka Local Government Area.
The accident involved a commercial vehicle carrying 11 passengers from Bali to Serti, the headquarters of Gashaka LGA.
An official of the Nigeria Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Bali branch, Haruna Lukman, said the vehicle collided head-on with an oncoming trailer while negotiating a sharp bend near Kabarin Baturi village along the Bali–Serti road.
He stated that all occupants died on the spot, adding that officials of NARTO, police officers, and bystanders evacuated the bodies and injured victims to Bali General Hospital.
Lukman further noted that the vehicle, which was meant to carry six passengers, was often overloaded due to rising fuel costs and alleged extortion by security operatives.
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