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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Crime & Justice

Rising Insecurity: Delta Community, Oghara, Bans Open Grazing

From ThisDay · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified New plan
  • Oghara Kingdom in Delta State, Nigeria, has banned open cattle grazing to combat rising insecurity.
  • The community will hold cattle traders and farmland lessors liable for security breaches, enforcing a state policy.
  • This measure follows findings that herders are a root cause of kidnapping, robbery, and killings in the area.

The Oghara Kingdom in Nigeria's Delta State has taken a decisive step to curb rising insecurity by banning open cattle grazing. This decision, reached at a strategic meeting involving traditional leaders, youth representatives, cattle traders, and stakeholders, aims to address a surge in kidnappings, armed robbery, and killings plaguing the community.

Cattle are supposed to be ranched and not to be going about our bushes indiscriminately and destroying our crops

— Oghara community membersDuring a strategic meeting to address insecurity, community members explained the rationale behind the ban on open grazing.

Traditional rulers and community members agreed that herders are a primary driver of the insecurity. "Cattle are supposed to be ranched and not to be going about our bushes indiscriminately and destroying our crops," they stated. The kingdom is now strictly enforcing the existing Delta State Government policy on open grazing.

There is a Delta State Government policy on it; so, here in our kingdom, we are henceforth strictly enforcing it. No more open cattle grazing in Oghara Kingdom.

— Oghara community membersThe community announced the strict enforcement of the state's open grazing policy within their kingdom.

Under the new resolution, Oghara will hold cattle traders and those who lease farmlands for grazing directly responsible for any future security breaches. This includes kidnapping and killings. The community's youth leaders are tasked with ensuring the ban's enforcement, with an appeal for support from security agencies and local government authorities.

The security situation in Oghara has got out of hand with several reported documented cases of kidnapping, ransom payment and just recently killing of one of our able bodied son. We can no longer fold our arms but to take our destinies in our hands by these resolutions.

— Oghara community membersCommunity members expressed their frustration and determination to take action due to the escalating security situation.

The Oghara monarch, HRM Noble Oyibo Eshemitan Orefe III, expressed hope that these measures will restore peace and safety to the kingdom, emphasizing that the community can no longer stand idly by while insecurity escalates.

Going forward, if there are any further security breaches like kidnapping or killing in our bushes, we now know those to hold responsible but, thank God, the identified cattle traders and those leasing out farmlands for grazing have resolved also to hands off the business. So, we are hopeful going forward that our Kingdom will be safe and peaceful as we fully enforce the no-grazing policy of government in Oghara Kingdom.

— Oghara community membersThe community outlined the new accountability measures and expressed optimism about restoring safety.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ThisDay. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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