Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Olufemi Oluyede, has urged the National Assembly to pass a law banning open grazing, citing growing insecurity and food instability, NaijNaira can report.
According to The Nation, Oluyede made the call through Maj Gen O.M. Dare, during a 3-day national summit on nutrition and food security.
He argued that open grazing is no longer viable and urged lawmakers to introduce alternatives like ranching.
Oluyede said, “If we really want to stop the issue of herders-farmers’ clashes, there must be give and take.”
He explained that population growth, hunger, and land conflicts intensify the farmer-herder crisis, which in turn fuels food shortages.
He warned that the law must be implemented gradually, noting that it can’t be enforced overnight.
Rear Admiral Yusuf Sani Idris, representing the Navy Chief, said Admiralty Farms support both food and physical security in most regions.
NSCDC’s Dr. Ahmed Audi said 4,000 herder-farmer disputes have been resolved through the agro-rangers’ mediation team.
Hon. Chike Okafor, House Committee Chair, called for better protection of farmlands, stressing that over 40% of farmlands remain idle due to insecurity.
He urged the military and DSS to support food chain protection from farms to storage facilities.
Article updated 4 days ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.