By Desmond Mgboh, Kano
Kano State government has expressed deep concern over the encroachment and blockage of cattle stock routes across the state.
The Chairman, Kano State Stock Routes Demarcation Committee, Ibrahim Sulaiman Dan’Isle made the assertion during the maiden meeting of the committee held in the state..
He said that,“It is regrettable that farmers and herdsmen have been engaged in clashes, which have caused loss of lives and property. This is as a result of encroachment of the stock routes which serves as local and international passage for the herdsmen to reach water resources, grazing reserves or vaccination points”.
Dan Isle, who is also the Managing Director, Kano State Agricultural and Rural Development Authority, KNARDA, added: “Unfortunately, many of the stock routes across the state have been encroached. So, one of our major tasks is to identify them and follow due process to ensure that they are retrieved, as a means of mitigation the recurrent conflicts”
According to him, “One of our major priorities now is the setting up of demarcation committees at the local government levels, with representation from the different actors concerned, to avert crisis arising from stock routes usage”.
“In this regard, we will leverage on the role of traditional community leaders in dispute resolution as well as public enlightenment”, he maintained, adding that the committee would also push for a legal framework to protect the stock routes for lasting peace.
Speaking, the State Project Coordinator, Kano Agro Pastoral Development Project, KSADP, Ibrahim Garba Muhammad explained that the project has concluded plans to hire a consultant to work with the Stock Route Committee towards the identification, demarcation and gazettment for all stock routes in the state.
“The conflict mitigation activity is very strategic towards achieving the development objective of the KSADP. You cannot achieve development in agro – pastoralism if there is no peace and stability” he stated.
The Committee’s Secretary, Garba Saleh listed reasons for clashes between herdsmen and farmers to include destruction of crops, harassment of herdsmen by the youths of host community, cattle theft, sale of cattle routes by local government chairmen, including lack of grazing land and a disregard for local traditional authorities.