Ekiti-Ekiti State House of Assembly on thursday prescribed six months jail term for any herdsmen who allow his cattle, sheep and goat to graze on undesignated land for ranches in Ekiti.
The bill which was unanimously passed at the plenary sitting of the Assembly, seek to regulate public grazing in the state.
The passage of the bill followed the submission of report of Joint Committees on Agriculture and Environment by its Chairman, Mr Ayodele Fajemilehin, to committee of the whole House.
The Speaker of the House, Mr Kola Oluwawole, who presided over Tuesday plenary said the bill would now reduce the incessant clashes between farmers and herdsmen in the state.
Oluwawole said “if the bill is eventually accented to by the governor, it will now become crime for any cattle, sheep and goat to graze on undesignated land for ranches in Ekiti.
According to the new bill tagged,” Prohibition of Cattle and Other Ruminants Grazing in Ekiti, 2016?, anyone found violating the bill upon conviction shall be sentenced to six months in prison without option of fine.
The rest are,” No person shall cause or permit any cow, oxen, sheep as well as goat under his or her control to graze on any land in which the Governor has not designated as ranches” among others.
The bill forbids movement of cattle by herdsmen and owners of goat in the Ekiti after 6 p.m. “No cattle or other ruminants shall by any means move in the night, movement shall be between 7 a.m and 6p.m”.
