Nasarawa Donates Seven Grazing Reserves to FG for Cattle Ranches

  •   Monarch accused of ceding farmlands to herdsmen

The Nasarawa State Government has donated all the seven gazetted grazing reserves in the state located at Awe, Keana, Doma, Assakio, Konva, Gitata and Kurudu for the federal government’s ranching programme in the state.

This is coming as the paramount ruler of Akaleku in Obi Local Government Area of the state, Zhe Augustine Alao, has been accused of allgedlly ordering Tiv community in his domain to cede their farmlands to the Fulani herdsmen.

The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mohammed Hassan Abdullahi, said in a statement in Lafia that the state government was willing to provide all resources and support to ensure the success of the ranching effort adopted by the federal government.

“The state ministries of agriculture, lands and physical planning, affected local government areas and communities where these grazing reserves are located are to accord all the necessary support and cooperation for the successful implementation of the federal government’s ranching programme in the state,” he said.

In another development, the paramount ruler of Akaleku in Obi Local Government Area of the state, Zhe Augustine Alao, has been accused of allegedlly ordering Tiv community in his domain to cede their farmlands to the Fulani herdsmen.

The Akaleku monarch was accused of giving the order for the ceding of the said farmlands to herdsmen in a statement jointly signed by leaders of the Tiv community in Akaleku, Vandesalen Shie and Moses Andrew, and issued to journalists in Lafia yesterday.

The community also alleged that the Akaleku had recently connived with the Fulani herdsmen and brought in the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the police who arrested and detained four members of the community at the State Criminal and Investigation Department (SCID) in Lafia for resisting the takeover of their farmlands by the herders.

The statement listed the names of the detained persons to include Andrew Agah, Ordam Vandesalem, Timbee Vandesalem and Motswenga Vadesalem.  “The Tiv community therefore wondered why the Zhe Alao will order us to cede our farmlands to the Fulani herdsmen claiming that we are settlers in Akaleku hence should go back to Benue State; even as we have settled in the area for over a decade,” the statement added.

But when contacted, Alao dismissed the allegation made by the Tiv community, saying it was a complete misinformation.

“I only waded into a land dispute between the Tiv farmers and Fulani herdsmen in my domain,” he said.

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