A LOFTY LAW NOW IN LIMBO
As catty as the seeming feud between Governor Hyacinth Alia and other political leaders from Benue state has been, it is ultimately a huge distraction from the main agenda of securing the Benue populace against the herdsmen invaders. More time is spent on a personality clash between this pair of mercurial iconoclasts, but less time is being dedicated to getting the security personnel to take the security agenda across the finish line. This is, to be clear, a fight that could leave the state in a pitiable state.
At its core, this spat began over Governor Alia’s relaxing of the Open Grazing Prohibition Law 2017 that Governor Ortom had been pressured by Benue popular opinion into signing. The Law is very clear on prohibition of open grazing of livestock in the state, allowing only designated ranches for livestock production. The penalty is also clearly stated. Anyone found guilty of violating this Law faces a 5 years jail term or a fine of N1 million. Specifically, movement of livestock on foot within the state is prohibited by this Law, and offenders risk 1 year imprisonment or a fine of N500,000. In addition, livestock owners or managers are liable for damage to crops and must pay compensation. Also, cattle rustling is punishable with 5 years’ imprisonment or a fine of N100,000 per cow. The Law also provides for the establishment of ranches, and livestock owners are expected to acquire land from the government for this purpose. For proper implementation of the Law, a special task force was established to enforce it.
A peep into Governor Alia’s strategic plan on security revealed that when he contested the governorship seat, he sought to, among other things,“ strengthen the implementation of the Open Grazing Prohibition Law 2017 for enhanced security, economic growth, and the development of Benue State” and also “to strengthen the operational capacity of existing security organizations in the state; establish permanent integrated forward operating bases for security men at all the flash points where there have been, and there still exists, cases of armed attacks and displacement of people, and to, above all, ensure effective security cooperation and partnership between the traditional institutions and security agencies on the one hand, and between the traditional institutions and the political leadership on the other.
These led many to trust that these concrete measures will guide Governor Alia’s effort in addressing the persistent attacks on Benue rural communities.
However, upon assuming office, Governor Alia effectively gestured opposition to the Open Grazing Prohibition Law 2017 and declared it to be against both Nigeria’s constitution and the ECOWAS protocols of free movement, a remarkable error of judgement, paving way for the escalation or gradual step-by-step influx of herders and their cows into Benue state.
This signal broke the spine of what constituted the modicum of Benue’s defence and opened the flood gate for herdsmen and their armed enforcers to troop into Benue. It also threw open the door to conspiracy theories. Even Governor Abdullahi Sule of neighbouring Nasarawa state pointed out that this action has been responsible for the escalation in herdsmen attacks in Benue. Up till now, Alia’s response to Sule’s indictment is still blowing in the air.
Now, the proactiveness of Governor Alia is being questioned. Realisation is now springing on him that he is already under the herdsmen’s skin, and any plans to exploit other avenues won’t exactly take difficult imagination. Perhaps this explains the back-and-forth brinksmanship that has captivated him as his first two years in office headed toward its completion.
In my last editorial, I warned and predicted that “There is need for both the state and federal governments to sit up and stop playing havoc with the security of Nigerians. The grandfather of all holocaust in the Benue valley is real, and it could be imminent.” This came to pass when the town of Yelewata was attacked on June 13-14, 2025.
Over the years, armed herdsmen tend to be the Benue short hand for the persistent attacks which precedes the present government with the herders under the umbrella of MACBAN often taking responsibility. However, Governor Hyacinth Alia while appearing as a guest on “Politics Today,” a programme on Channels Television on Monday April 21, 2025, explained that the attackers are non-Nigerians who find their way from Mali, and other countries through the bush and forest into Benue communities in their hundreds on motorbikes, armed with AK-47, AK-49 and machetes.
Yet, in another breath, Governor Alia, while speaking to the issues of insecurity in Benue, again, on Channels Television’s “Politics Today” on Friday, June 6, 2025, alleged that politicians whose offices or residents are in Abuja are responsible. According to him, these politicians are allegedly behind the incessant attacks in Benue State: they are instigating, harbouring, and financing the perpetrators. Before one could demand that the Governor supply the names of such politicians, which he promised to do in a few days, he suddenly accused those he termed ‘religious bandits’ as fueling the crises. Strangely, the governor has caused none of these suspects been arrested or reported to the Police.
It will be recalled that, one of the major resolutions of the Tiv summit on security held a few weeks at the Tor Tiv Palace in Gboko was that the state government should commence the implementation of the Open Grazing Prohibition Law 2017. This has not been done. Governor Alia’s response is fraught with uncertainties, he has continued to say the Law is still in place, yet little is been done to make anyone believe him in the maze of toxic combination of victim blaming and misguided political correctness.
Amidst the raining emotion and anger of Benue people and criticism of the Benue House of Assembly’s in watching a lofty law fade away, the state House of Assembly moved recently, raising alarm bells and calling on Governor Alia to commence the implementation of the Open Grazing Prohibition Law 2017 with immediate effect. This was realized with a minimum of debate and in an atmosphere of general harmony.
The full implementation was yet to be done when on June 13-14, armed bandits, launched a coordinated attack on the town of Yelewata beginning from 10pm on Friday, June 13 and continuing into the early hours of Saturday, June 14. The overwhelming number of fatalities is still being debated, but many believed it is above 200 people. This sparked widespread grief and angry reactions came swiftly throughout the country. A bustling crowd of hundreds of youths stormed the streets of Makurdi on the smoky dawning of Sunday June 15th to protest the Government’s unusual silence in the wake of the genocide. Amidst all these, the fury of the protest, with the popular social media influencer, Very Dark Man appearing on the scene after his trip to Yelewata to establish the extent of damage, coupled with the pre-angelus prayer of Pope Leo for the Yelewatans in faraway Rome, forced President Tinubu to cancel his other engagements and rush to Benue where he held a town hall meeting with political, traditional, religious leaders and other groups.
We argue that enthroning the Open Grazing Prohibition Law should still the best first step towards stalling the activities or armed herders in the Benue valley. It is the cattle herders who move openly with their cattle that often invite the armed herders for attacks on innocent rural communities.
My colleagues have covered these troubling events from all angles, they will continue to do so.
