Court remands herdsman in Ekiti State

• Delta police boss warns against jungle justice

An Ado Ekiti Chief Magistrate’s Court has remanded a herdsman, Abubakar Usman, for illegal grazing and destruction of a cassava farmland.Police prosecutor, Bankole Olasunkanmi, told the court that Abubakar (30) and others at large, committed the offence sometimes in December at Iyemero Farm Settlement camp ‎in Iyemero-Ekiti in Ikole Local Council of the state.

Olasunkanmi said the accused unlawfully allowed his cattle to graze on the 70 hectares cassava farmland property of Bunmi Akingba, valued at N25 million. He said the offence contravened Section 2 (i) and punishable under Section 7 of Prohibition of Cattle ‎and other Ruminants Grazing, Ekiti State Law 2016.

The prosecutor also said that the accused and others at large, had in their possession offensive weapons contrary to Section 4(1) of the Prohibition of Cattle and other Ruminants Grazing of Ekiti and Punishable under Section 11 of Ekiti State Kidnap and Terrorism (Prohibition) Law 2015.

Olasunkanmi told the court that he had forwarded the case file to the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice. No plea was taken.

Chief Magistrate Idowu Ayenimo remanded the accused in prison till the outcome from DPP office. He adjourned the case till March 3 for mention.Meanwhile, Delta State Commissioner of Police, Zanna Ibrahim, has warned the people against embarking on jungle justice, especially taking laws into their hands or getting involved in criminal activities.
 
He gave the warning yesterday against the backdrop of recent attacks and alleged killing of herdsmen by youths in some parts of the state, noting that the resort to jungle justice was uncivilized, criminal and impedes the course of peace and security. He stressed that the people should learn to seek legal redress whenever they feel wronged.
 
Ibrahim also frowned at the attitude of the herdsmen who provocatively graze their cattle on people’s farmlands and warned them to refrain from such criminal acts, stressing that any herdsman caught destroying people’s crops, molesting, or preventing farmers from accessing their farmlands or bearing firearms or any other dangerous weapons, will be arrested and brought to book.
   
Meanwhile, the police commissioner reassured Deltans of the readiness and willingness of the police and other security agencies in the state to continually discharge their duties responsibly and called on citizens to cooperate with the security agencies towards ensuring that peace and security prevails in every part of the state.