Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, yesterday vowed to transmit an executive amendment bill on the law prohibiting open grazing in 2017 to the state House of Assembly to triple the charges for violators of the law as a penalty for the gravity of the offense they commit against the people of the state.
Besides, the governor also raised the alarm over fresh massive influx of armed Fulani insurgents in parts of Guma and other communities of the state to possibly attack, maim and kill residents.
Governor Ortom, who disclosed this to newsmen in Gbajimba, headquarters of Guma Local Government Area, hinted that the invaders had devised new methods of invading the state by using trailers to bring their cattle into the state.
He said: “There is an influx of herdsmen and cattle coming in, they have devised new methods of bringing their cattle in trailers and when they get to Abinsi, along Makurdi- Gboko road, they drop the cattle and enter the forest.
“In fact, I am going to put an executive amendment to the law prohibit ing open grazing 2017 to upgrade and triple the charges of those who trespass against our law so that they will know the gravity of the offence they are committing against our people.
“As I keep saying, we are law abiding people, we are not stopping Fulani men or Hausa’s or anybody from coming into our state to do legitimate business. “But once you come doing open grazing, there is a law prohibiting open grazing and so you have trespassed and they also know,” Governor Ortom warned.