Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has banned the activities and operation of underage herders in the State.
He warned that under-aged herders caught rearing cattle in the State will be arrested while the chief herdsman in charge of such under-age herder will be arrested and prosecuted.
These were parts of the communique issued at the end of an expanded Security Council Meeting held at the International Conference Centre, Abakaliki.
The meeting had in attendance leaders and members of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association in the state.
Heads of various security agencies in the state were also in attendance at the meeting which was chaired by Governor David Umahi.
“The various communities are by this meeting empowered to arrest and handover to the police any under-aged herder within your community and the chief herder who is the custodian of such under-aged persons must be prosecuted by the police, in accordance with our law”, said the communique read by Deputy Governor, Kelechi Igwe.
The statement warned that henceforth, members of Miyetti Allah and their leadership must take responsibilities for any destruction of farms, crops, properties, including any attack on any Community on Ebonyi State; rape cases are not exempted from this.
“They must produce within seven days for arrest and prosecution the perpetrators of such bastardly acts from amongst their membership”.
In the same vein, the communique warned that communities leaders and traditional rulers, Development Centre Coordinators, Local Government Council Chairmen and political office holders must take responsibility and produce attackers and killers of herdsmen or the cows for arrest and prosecution within seven days whenever such occurs.
“Henceforth, herders must reside in the (Ebonyi) community where they graze their cattle”.
“All persons carrying cow by foot on the tarred road, on our concrete roads must be arrested and handed over to the police within seven days of prosecution by the community within which such infiltrations come”, the statement read.
