Ogun State Community Social Orientation and Safety Corps says its estimated 8,500 operatives are fully prepared to enforce the anti-open grazing law passed last Thursday by the State House of Assembly, as part of security measures to end the frequent clashes between herders and farmers which usually lead to loss of lives and property in the state and Nigeria at the large
The law which is awaiting the assent of Governor Dapo Abiodun, prescribes three years imprisonment without any option of fine and forfeiture of cattle or animals to the Ogun State Government on conviction for any herder who herds animals outside the permitted grazing areas
The Assistant Commander and Director of Information and Public Relations of the corps, Moruff Yusuf in a chat with the EDU-BIZnews over the weekend in Abeokuta on level of preparedness of the state security agency, expressed confidence that the So-Safe Corps has its presence in every community in the state for effective implementation of the law
“We are fully prepared to enforce the law, that is our job,to ensure people of Ogun State sleep with their two eyes close, we have close to 8,500 gallant officers and men under the leadership of the Corps Commander ,Soji Ganzallo ,who have been properly trained and up to the task”, he assured
“We will deal with suspected criminals who constitute themselves into groups to create unrest in Ogun State irrespective of any tribe either Fulani or Yoruba, after completion of preliminary investigation such suspect will be handed over to the police for prosecution”, Yusuf stated
On the proposed state police bill which scaled through second reading last Tuesday and referred by the House of Representative to the 1999 Constitutional Review Committee handling the ongoing amendm ent of Nigeria’s constitution ,the corps described the step as healthy development for the fight against the rising cases of insecurity in the country, saying the more the security agencies created ,the merrier to cope with the serious challenge of insecurity which should not left for the existing number security agencies mostly being controlled by the Federal Government
According to him, So-Safe Corps has existing template to make state police effective in Ogun State, it is already operational in the state. So-Safe Corps operatives are in every community, we have increased our operational commands from the intial 20 when it was created to 120 divisions, including 15 Zonal and Area Commands in the state”
He explains that the establishment of the commands and area commands is to ensure the presence of operatives of the So-Safe Corps at the grassroots and respond to any security situation as quickly as possible and if it requires the joint operation of other vigilante groups and security agencies we call for such reinforcement to handle major security challenges
Spokesman of the So-Safe Corps added that the agency had before the passage of the State Animal Grazing Regulation and Cattle Ranch Establishment popularly known as anti-open grazing law, involved in amicable settlement of issues between herders and farmers with compensation paid to farmers whose farmlands were destroyed by cattle, particularly in the Ketu, Iwoye areas in Yewa axis and Ijebu-Igbo area in Ijebu axis of the state
He revealed that the agency was actively involved in the activities of the dissolved Special Reconciliation Committee set up by the State Government to resolve the crisis between herders and farmers and was able to orientate the herders and their leadership,the Seriki –Fulani on the need to always engage the services of matured herders and not those who are between 10 years and below who often allow cattle to stray to farmlands and destroy products and crops leading to clashes between farmers and herders.
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