Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia has said that the state’s anti-open grazing law, introduced in 2017 under his predecessor, remains difficult to enforce because it lacks support from federal legislation.
Responding to criticisms from the Benue Advocacy Network, Alia, through his Chief Press Secretary, Kula Tersoo, on Sunday, July 6, said state-enforced protection units are too poorly equipped to confront armed herders, many of whom are backed by well-armed militias.
“The governor has been open with the people about the difficulty in implementing the anti-open grazing law because the enforcement body, the Benue State Community Volunteer Guards, are not authorised to bear sophisticated arms, except licensed firearms,” Tersoo said.
He continued, “But the challenge is that Fulani herders are often protected by armed militias wielding AK-47 and AK-49 rifles. If even mobile police officers have been killed confronting these militias, how do we expect the unarmed protection guards to enforce the law?”
Governor Alia insisted that full enforcement would require a national approach to give federal security agencies the power to support the law across state boundaries.
“Imagine when our guards attempt to enforce the law, and the herders simply cross into neighbouring Nasarawa State, where the law doesn’t apply, what can we do?” he asked.
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His response followed a sharply worded statement from the Benue Advocacy Network titled ‘Questions Governor Alia Is Yet To Answer’, signed by its president, Enoch Ortese.
The group criticised the governor over the rising spate of attacks in rural areas, growing numbers in IDP camps, and what it described as failure to deliver on his campaign promise to return displaced people to their ancestral homes.
“Instead of fulfilling his promise to return IDPs to their ancestral homes within his first 100 days, the governor is constructing more camps and tents,” the group said.
They also raised concerns about transparency and accountability, accusing the administration of awarding contracts without disclosure and completing no significant projects since taking office.
“What has become of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law of 2017? Why are herders increasingly taking over more Benue communities without any visible government action? The people deserve clarity,” the statement added.
In his defence, Alia said that his government had cleared six of the seven months’ salary arrears left by the previous administration and that the state’s financial records are available for public scrutiny at the Budget Office.