Desmond Mgboh, Kano

 

Kano State government has expressed deep concern over the encroachment and blockage of cattle stock routes across the state.

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.

“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 serve as local and international passage for the herdsmen to reach water resources, grazing reserves or vaccination points,” he said.

Related News

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 mitigating the recurrent conflicts.”

He spoke further: “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 added 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 had concluded plans to hire a consultant to work with the committee towards the identification and demarcation all stock routes in the state, and published in the official gazette of the government.

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.