A Magistrates’ Court in Akure, Ondo State, has sentenced a herdsman, Dan-Bello, to 10 years in prison for violating the state’s anti-open grazing law and destroying farmland crops worth N50 million.
Dan-Bello was charged with five offences, including conspiracy, unlawful grazing, malicious damage, illegal entry, and disturbing public peace. The court found him guilty on all counts.
The prosecution told the court that on October 27, 2023, Dan-Bello grazed his cattle on a farm owned by the National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria (NPPAN), located along the Ago Panu–Ute Road in Owo Local Government Area. The cattle destroyed young palm trees and watermelon crops spread across two hectares.
Prosecutor P.O. Nwafor explained that the grazing took place without permission and on land not designated for livestock, violating the 2021 Ondo State Livestock Rearing and Grazing Regulation Law. She added that the situation worsened when another herder, who had initially escaped, returned with six others and allegedly set fire to the farm, also burning a motorcycle.
A farm guard who witnessed the event said he apprehended Dan-Bello while another suspect escaped.
Magistrate Damilola Sekoni ruled that the prosecution’s evidence was strong and reliable. He sentenced Dan-Bello to:
-
4 years in prison for conspiracy (Count 1) – no option of fine
-
2 years for unlawful grazing (Count 2) – with an option of N50,000 fine
-
1 year each for malicious damage and breach of peace (Counts 3 & 4)
-
2 years for illegal entry (Count 5) – no option of fine
The sentences will run concurrently, meaning Dan-Bello will serve 4 years in total unless he pays N2 million in compensation to the farm owner, in which case he will be released.
The court emphasized the importance of following the anti-open grazing law, which aims to reduce conflicts between herders and farmers in the state.