An Upper Area Court in Naka, Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State, has sentenced a herdsman, Adamu Ango, to four years’ imprisonment for violating the Benue State Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law, 2017.
Ango, a resident of Doma Local Government Area in Nasarawa State, was arrested on August 5, 2025, after 57 cattle under his care were found grazing on the rice, maize, and guinea corn farms of Udewua Evarestus and Matthew Igbana at Tse Ihyo, Gaange Tongov Ward. The destruction was estimated at over ₦6 million.
The judgment was delivered on Tuesday by Presiding Judge Gbagyo Orkpe, who also ordered the convict to pay a fine of ₦1 million and an additional ₦5 million as compensation to the affected farmers.
During the trial, the herder pleaded guilty but claimed he acted on instructions from his employer, Alhaji Jatoi Bui, who allegedly told him he could graze freely in Benue after making a “payment.” The court, however, found him guilty under Sections 19(1) and 19(2) of the law and handed down the sentence.
The ruling underscores the state government’s resolve to enforce the anti-open grazing law and protect farmlands from destruction.
