By JKNewsMedia
A STERN renewed warning has been issued to cattle owners and herders in Ogun State as the government reaffirms its resolve to enforce the law banning open grazing.
The state government declared on Tuesday that the Animal Grazing Regulation and Cattle Ranch Establishment Law, enacted in 2021, remains fully operational, warning that any breach will attract severe legal consequences.
The government said the reminder follows increasing incidents of traffic obstruction, farmland invasion, and crop destruction linked to open grazing activities.
Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration, through his Special Adviser on Media and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, condemned the ongoing violations by herders and reiterated that enforcement would be intensified across the state.
First passed in 2020 and signed into law in 2021, the legislation stipulates a minimum three-year imprisonment without an option of fine for offenders.
It also authorises the forfeiture of livestock involved in illegal grazing to the state government.
According to the government, this law was introduced to address persistent clashes between herders and farmers and to promote secure, modern livestock management.
Akinmade emphasised that the government had “observed cases of obstruction of traffic, invasion of people’s farmlands, and destruction of crops,” stressing that such acts constitute clear violations of the law.
He warned that state authorities would no longer tolerate these disruptions.
While reaffirming the freedom of cattle owners and herders to operate within the state under the framework of the law, the government insisted that any form of grazing outside permitted ranches remains strictly prohibited.
The statement made it clear that violators will be “arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent allowed by law.”
The government urged all livestock stakeholders to adhere strictly to the legal provisions to ensure peaceful coexistence and the protection of property and public infrastructure across the state.
