A tribunal in Oyo State has sentenced Nurudeen Semiu, a herdsman, to five years imprisonment for grazing his cattle beside the office of the State Governor, Seyi Makinde, in Agodi axis of Ibadan.
Semiu was found guilty of contravening Oyo State’s anti-open grazing law 2019 after his nine cattles were seen grazing openly around the seat of power, an act liable to imprisonment.
The presiding officer, Kunle Abimbola, found Semiu guilty of a four-count charge levied against him for violating Oyo State’s anti-open grazing law 2019.
In response, he pleaded guilty to two out of the charges levied against him by the prosecuting counsel N.Y. Aderibigbe, with the charge number OYRLEA/19/12/2024 yesterday.
This prompted Abimbola to sentence the herdsman to five years imprisonment with an option of N 1.7 million to paid into the state government purse.
Semiu’s journey to prison began when he was apprehended by the Taskforce Team of the Oyo State Rule of Law Enforcement Authority for opening grazing his cattle an action prohibited in the state.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, disclosed that Semiu was apprehended through the Taskforce Team of the Oyo State Rule of Law Enforcement Authority (OYRLEA) after seizing a number of cows grazing along the fence of the Oyo State Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.
He said: “The cows which were nine in number, grazing openly by the motorcycle park otherwise known as ‘Okada’ park beside the Secretariat gate, were closely monitored and captured thereafter.
“The OYRLEA taskforce noting the violation as environmentally and agriculturally related immediately called the attention of the Oyo State Ministry of Agriculture and an official report was made to the State’s Parliament Police Division, Secretariat Agodi in the Secretariat. Additional personnel were deployed and the cows were taken to the Ministry of Agriculture”
“The offense as tantamount to the extant laws on anti-open grazing of 2019, as established by the State, the Chairperson, Oyo State Rule of Law Enforcement Authority, Justice Aderonke Aderemi ordered for the prosecution of the offender without further delay”.
