Oyo arrests herdsman, cattle for flouting anti-open grazing law

Oyo State Rule of Law Enforcement Authority (OYRLEA), on Thursday, arrested nine cows grazing along the fence of the Oyo State Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.

The cows were seen grazing openly by the motorcycle park otherwise known as ‘Okada’ park beside the Secretariat gate and captured thereafter.

The OYRLEA task force, noting the violation as environmentally and agriculturally related, immediately called the attention of the Oyo State Ministry of Agriculture, and an official report was made to the State’s Parliament Police Division, Secretariat Agodi in the Secretariat.

Additional personnel were deployed and the cows were taken to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Speaking on the offense as tantamount to the extant laws on anti-open grazing of 2019, as established by the state, the Chairperson, Oyo State Rule of Law Enforcement Authority, Justice Aderonke

Aderemi ordered for the prosecution of the offender without further delay.

Sitting at the tribunal on charge number OYRLEA/19/12/2024 which was held at the Ministry of Environment the same day, N.Y. Aderibigbe, the prosecuting counsel levied a four-count charge on the offender, drawn from the anti-open grazing law of Oyo State, 2019.

The offender, Nurudeen Semiu, on arraignment, acceded to the first two charges and pleaded not guilty to others.

At the end of the trial, the presiding officer, Kunle Abimbola, pronounced judgement as it relates to open rearing count charges, and the option of N1,700,000 fine or five years imprisonment was admitted on the offender.