Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State is seeking to have a law enacted which would place a ban on the movement of herdsmen and cattle from the north towards the southern regions of Nigeria.
Ganduje made his position known in an interview with journalists on Saturday after a lunch that state governors elected on the platform of the ruling Alł Progressives Congress had with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in Daura, Katsina State.
Governor Umar Ganduje, while canvassing for the enactment of a law to ban movement of cattle from the North to other parts of the country said this would resolve the incessant incidences of clashes between farmers and herders.
He also said the ban on movement of herders would also address the challenge of cattle rustling.
Fielding question on how far he had gone with the Ruga project in his state, Ganduje said “we are building a Ruga settlement in Samsosua Forest, our border with Katsina and we have succeeded in curtailing the effect of banditry in that area.
“So, we are building many houses, we are constructing a dam; we are establishing a Cattle Artificial insemination Centre; we are establishing a veterinary clinic and already we have started building houses for herdsmen.
“My advocacy is that we should abolish the transportation or trekking of herdsmen from the northern part of Nigeria to the middle belt and to the Southern part of Nigeria.
“There should be a law that will ban, otherwise we cannot control the conflicts between herdsmen and farmers and cannot control the cattle rustling which is affecting us greatly.”
Asked on what to expect from the newly appointed Service Chiefs, the Kano state governor said he wants the military hierarchy to work with state governors to ensure safety across the country.
On his part, the Governor of Gombe State Inuwa Yahaya said: “I will ask them to work hard; harder than what Mr President might have assumed they would do because the task ahead is very challenging and I believe they will live up to expectations.”
