By Victor Osehobo, Regional Bureau, Benin City
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Corpse of the pastor allegedly murdered by persons suspected to be herdsmen in Edo state was last weekend, reportedly dumped at the office of the state governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, along Osadebey Avenue in Benin City by persons suspected to be close family members of the deceased.Pastor Pius Eromosele whose corpse was suspected to be inside the coffin at the state house was allegedly killed recently by Fulani herdsmen while he was working on his farm at Odighi, a serene rural community in Ovia North East Local government area.
While a confirmation of the unwholesome development was not forthcoming from authorities, the news that followed and travelled across Edo state, earlier this week was that Governor Obaseki, announced a 90-day total ban on grazing in Odighi, Odiguetue communities and environs where the murder took place.
Nevertheless the words had barely left the lips of the governor when the PDP in Edo labeled it as arrogant and insensitive and submitted that the government should go the whole hog.
Governor Obaseki had also set up a special task force of security agencies to comb out the criminal herdsmen from forests and communities around the locality as he ordered the arrest of herdsmen on sight, and the vetting and enumeration of all herders across the state.
In its reaction, the PDP said the governor’s decision was partially in tandem with its earlier position, adding: “If Obaseki’s government position is to adopt and gradually embrace the implementation of the PDP proposed law, they should apply it to the entire state.
“Why leave out Ekpoma, Ewu, Ugboha, Ubiaja, Lampese, Ekperi, Oben and several other communities in the state that have suffered the herdsmen attack?.”
The party, which applauded the Edo state government’s admission that it is its responsibility to protect the lives and property of all Nigerians in the state, said: “Unfortunately, they have failed woefully to discharge this constitutional responsibility to the people despite the over N400 million security votes deducted monthly.”
“Nothing short of an outright ban on grazing and the passing into law, of the Anti-Open Grazing Bill as transmitted by Edo PDP to EDHA, will be effective enough to curb the incessant killings and maiming of innocent Edo people by the marauding herdsmen,” the PDP through its State Publicity Scribe Chris Nehikhare declared on Monday.
“It is regrettable that it took the avoidable death of Pastor Eromosele before the government could take a decision and realize that the ban on night grazing was a cosmetic and grossly inadequate government policy.”
“Our proposed bill will prevent the destruction of farms and farm produce as well as protect lives and properties of farmers, their wives and children occasioned by open grazing. The law will also protect the environment from degradation and pollution caused by open rearing and overgrazing of livestock,” the PDP spokesman said.
He added: “It will also optimize the use of land resources in the face of overstretched land and increasing population, as well as maintain a healthy food security arrangement. The law would encourage the establishment of ranches with the permission and approval of the state government.”
Shooting down the PDP missile on the menace of Herdsmen in the state, Media Adviser to the Governor Crusoe Osagie acknowledged the suggestion of the PDP and said the government was impressed that the party has heeded “our call to display maturity in its well-deserved role as an opposition party.”
Osagie however, said that “Edo PDP lacks the advantage of the driver’s seat to appreciate the full picture of the issues; more so, issues that are related to national security.”
“Edo PDP is limited in knowledge, partly because of their remote location to power and their lack of appetite for thorough and painstaking research,” Osagie mocked the rival political party.
He argued that in a sensitive matter such as the 90-day ban, the Edo State government was deploying all its resources to secure the lives and property of everyone in the state and that its decisions were based on investigations and careful analysis of trends by security agencies and other stakeholders on the ‘field of play.’
“We will not be stampeded into whimsical decisions on issues that border on human lives, like the spur of the moment and fleeting emotion of a far flung football fan like the Edo PDP.”
“We have a holistic view of the security situation in Edo State and the security of Edo people and their socio-economic wellbeing are the major, non-negotiable and irreducible reasons, we are in government, “Osagie argued.
The Media aide however said, “deaths resulting from clashes with herdsmen, bandits and cattle rustlers cause us great pain and we shall not rest until we put an end to it.”
Nevertheless, Nehikhare insisted that to further assist the government make an informed decision regarding the proposed bill, PDP has actively participated in a recent workshop which had in attendance representatives of civil society, as well as professionals from the Legal, Medical and Business World.
He said, participants affirmed their support for the initiative of the PDP and as a result, “Edo PDP advices the governor as a matter of urgency to adopt the bill it sent to the state assembly and push for its enactment into law.”
