The Federal Government on Sunday said it supports moves by herdsmen to sue Southern Governors over the anti-open grazing bill they recently signed into law.
Special Assistant (Media) to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Dr Umar Gwandu, said Nigerians whose rights had been violated could go to court to seek protection.
And the Nigeria Police Force headquarters silent on the law and its implementation, there are discordant tunes among the State Police Commands on the enforcement.
While Ebonyi and Osun State Police Commands said they would enforce the law, Lagos State Police Command stated would only provide protection to the enforcement team of the State.
The Rivers State Police Commissioner, Friday Eboka, is sitting on the fence, saying he had not seen a copy of the State anti-open grazing law.
Most Southern States, including Lagos, Ondo, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Abia, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Enugu, and just recently, Delta and Ogun States, have signed the anti-open grazing bill into law.
The Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore group, the umbrella association of the mainly Fulani herdsmen, have described the passage of the law in Southern States as ‘satanic’ and ‘politically motivated,’ vowing that to sue the Governors.
National Secretary of the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore group, Selah Alhassan, is threatening to sue the Southern Governors just as Dr Gwandu said that “the rights trampled upon are individual rights of Nigerians as constitutionally guaranteed.
“The Nigerians whose rights are violated reserve the right to approach the court for the protection of such rights within the context of freedom of movement among others. It will be viewed with that consideration in mind.”
Copyright PUNCH
