The seventh invasion of investigative journalist Ibanga Isine’s farm has raised worries about how Akwa Ibom State is enforcing its anti-open-grazing law. Authorities say they will punish offending herders more strictly.
Mr Isine’s farm in Uyo has faced repeated destruction by suspected herders. This has brought up new questions about how well the state is enforcing its anti-open-grazing law. The government claims a multi-agency task force is working on the matter.
Last week, Mr Isine reported that suspected herders invaded his farm for the seventh time. They damaged crops, irrigation systems, and other investments he made in his farm.
He claims the repeated invasions have caused him total losses of ₦70 million.
In a Facebook post from Sunday, Mr Isine shared: “As of today, we have lost ₦70 million of our investments. We lost about ₦35 million last year, and the herders have doubled the losses with this seventh invasion. That excludes the invasion of our second farm in Shelter Afrique Estate.”
This latest incident comes as the state government insists that measures are in place to enforce the law. Police officials also said they would no longer support out-of-court settlements for cases where herders destroy farmlands.
This situation follows an ongoing investigation into a previous invasion of Mr Isine’s farm, which PREMIUM TIMES had reported earlier.
In a video on July 20, Mr Isine showed parts of his farm, revealing damaged irrigation pipes, drip tapes, and broken fencing.
He explained that cattle broke through his barbed-wire fence, trampling cultivated areas and destroying the new irrigation systems. He said the recurring invasions are stopping him from farming again, as he has not recovered from past losses.
“This is what we pass through by trying to cultivate land and produce food,” he said. “Even when we cannot plant on the farm, the herders will still come and destroy the infrastructure we have put in place.”
Mr Isine mentioned that cattle had invaded his farm six times before. He said farmers across the state are facing similar issues. He argued that cattle moving through farmlands spread diseases and discourage people from investing in agriculture.
Mr Isine is currently a complainant in a criminal case from a previous invasion of his farm. He criticized what he called weak enforcement of the anti-open-grazing law. He urged Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno to strengthen the law's implementation to stop further destruction of farms in the state.
In another video released on Wednesday, Mr Isine said government officials acted after his public appeal.
He said the Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, sent officers to check his farm. The chairman of the state’s Anti-Open Grazing Task Force also visited. The Commissioner for Agriculture, Offiong Afor, later came with ministry officials, looked over the damage, and promised to identify those responsible.
Mr Isine praised the commissioners for their quick response. Still, he said farmers without public visibility might not get the same attention. He also called on the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Akwa Ibom chapter, to speak out more on the ongoing destruction of farms by herders.
In a chat with PREMIUM TIMES, Commissioner of Police, Mr Azare, said they have a joint anti-grazing task force. This includes the police, military, and members of the Fulani community who help identify cattle owners.
He stated that the problem in Mr Isine’s case is that complaints come after the herders have left. “The police receive complaints, investigate, and determine who owns the cattle involved,” he said.
He recognized that police cannot monitor every farm. But he said officers respond whenever they get complaints. Mr Azare pointed out that many people prefer private compensation instead of criminal prosecution.
“I have made up my mind that if you want your money, you must go to court and collect it through the court,” he stated. “Henceforth, anyone caught will be prosecuted. If you don’t want to pursue the matter in court, you will lose your compensation.”
He explained that informal settlements have made it harder to deal with these issues. This is because many out-of-court agreements happen without police knowledge.
In response to questions from PREMIUM TIMES, the Commissioner for Information, Aniekan Umanah, spoke for the Commissioner for Internal Security, Koko Essien. He said the state’s Anti-Grazing Task Force includes security agencies and Fulani community members skilled in cattle identification.
He noted that the task force has asked farmers to report incidents right away. This helps authorities trace the cattle and their owners. He said quick reporting has led to arrests in many cases, and affected farmers have received compensation through the state’s dispute resolution process.
Mr Umanah also mentioned that delayed reporting is still a big problem. “In many cases, including from the recent incident at Isine, reports are made several days, and sometimes weeks, after the damage has occurred,” he said. “Such delays make it considerably more difficult to trace the cattle or identify those responsible.”
He emphasized that the task force has reduced illegal grazing incidents and assured the government is committed to enforcing the law.
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Offiong Afor, did not respond to PREMIUM TIMES’s questions about enforcement measures, investigations, and protections for farmers.
She directed this newspaper to the Anti-Grazing Task Force’s enforcement team. PREMIUM TIMES could not reach the task force for comments as calls to their known phone line did not connect.
This stance is different from Section 48 of the Open Rearing and Grazing (Prohibition) Control and Establishment of Ranches Law, Cap. 107, Laws of Akwa Ibom State, 2022. This law gives the responsibility of implementing the law to the ministry in charge of agriculture.
The Open Rearing and Grazing (Prohibition) Control and Establishment of Ranches Law, also called the Akwa Ibom anti-open grazing law, bans open nomadic livestock grazing except within approved ranches.
Section 30 states that anyone convicted of violating the law faces a fine of ₦10 million, up to five years in prison, or both. If grazing damages farms or property, the law says livestock owners must pay compensation after an official assessment of the damage.
The law also makes it illegal to move livestock on foot across the state, except in certain authorized cases. First offenders face a fine of ₦500,000, imprisonment for one year, or both. Repeat offenders could get up to three years in jail or a ₦1 million fine.
The latest destruction of Mr Isine’s farm highlights the gap between having a strong anti-open grazing law and the continual reports of cattle destroying farms in Akwa Ibom.
Even though state officials claim enforcement is better and compensation systems are in place, the repeated invasion of the same farm, seven times now, raises questions about how effective enforcement, prosecution of offenders, and protection of farming investments really is.
This incident also relates to the criminal case from an earlier invasion of Mr Isine’s farm. This case is still in court as authorities promise stricter enforcement of the law.
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