Herdsmen fault Fayose over grazing ban

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria has faulted the ban imposed on herdsmen in Ekiti State by Governor Ayo Fayose.
The Secretary General of MACBAN, Baba Usman Ngerzerma, said this on Wednesday on Sunrise Daily, a programme on Channels Television, monitored by our correspondent.
The MACBAN scribe, who described  the killings in Oke Ako, a community in Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State as unfortunate said those who killed were not herdsmen but criminals.
He said the decision to ban cattle grazing by the governor could cause a bigger problem while the governor was trying to solve a problem.
The cattle breeders said Fayose was the governor over everybody in the state and should also put the herdsmen into consideration before taking this decision.
He commended the way Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, was handling the issue of herdsmen and farmers in the state, saying he should be imitated.
He said, “We condemn the killing in totality. But we want to also try and meet the governor to see how we can get out of this problem because it is a problem perpetrated by criminals and the security has to play an important role in this regard.
“The inspector general  of police has to come in immediately because the perpetrators must be fished out.
“This ranching issue you are mentioning has been brushed aside and we are now into reclaiming our grazing reserves because we have them. We want the government to claim these reserves  and allocate them to herdsmen.‎”
He said establishing ranches would be better than the seasonal movement of herdsmen and their cattle in search of pasture but said this would not happen overnight.