By Tina Amanda
The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) has called on Governor Siminalayi Fubara to enforce the Anti-Open Grazing Law of 2021, following a surge in herders’ attacks and killings in parts of the state.
The call was made in response to recent invasions of farmlands by herders in the Rivers Southeast Senatorial District, which have led to the loss of lives and missing persons.
In a statement signed by YEAC’s Executive Director, Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, on September 30 in Port Harcourt, the organization condemned the incidents in Khana and Eleme local government areas, where herders have allegedly attacked farmers and destroyed crops.
The Advocacy Centre described the situation as tragic and unacceptable, as farmers are left vulnerable after months of toil, only to have their crops ravaged by cattle. In some cases, protests by the farmers have reportedly led to killings by the herders.
Reports from YEAC’s One Million Youth Volunteers Network of Human Rights Defenders and Promoters in the Niger Delta, and the Network on Organised Crime in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea (NOCINAG), reveal ongoing conflicts and potential violence in areas such as Agbeta, Egbalor, Sogho, and Sime in the Eleme, Khana, and Tai local government areas.
The Advocacy Centre has expressed grave concerns for the safety of the affected farmers, who remain helpless amid these invasions.
Fyneface condemned the killing of a youth in the Ogoni region by herders and called on the Rivers State Police Command to thoroughly investigate the incident, ensuring that those responsible are brought to justice.
The Advocacy Centre labeled the herders’ activities as organized crime and called on Governor Fubara to enforce the provisions of the Anti-Open Grazing Law, which was signed into law by former Governor Nyesom Wike on August 19, 2021.
YEAC urged the Governor to take swift legal action to prevent herders from grazing on farmers’ crops and to stop the accompanying violence.
The statement warned that failure to enforce the law may lead to further unrest, with farmers potentially resorting to self-defense, which could spark reprisal attacks and threaten the peace between various ethnic groups in Rivers State.
