The Benue State House of Assembly has actually changed the law prohibiting open grazing in the State (Benue State Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law of 2017) to attend to stiffer charges for violators.

The law has now consisted of a 14-year prison term with an option of N5million fine for anybody found guilty of encouraging under aged children to graze cattle openly in any part of the State.

The development was sequel to a report of your house Standing Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources, revealing lapses in the initial law.

Chairman of the Committee and lawmaker representing Makurdi South constituency, Mr. Terwase Aondoakaa, while leading debate on the report, described that the changed law would attend to N500,000 fine for any very first offender caught moving animals by foot in any part of Benue.

According to him, a 2nd time offender would be fined N1million with suitable jail term.

He included that “the new law offers various fines for taken livestock consisting of N50,000 great per cow, N10,000 per pig, N5,000 per goat and N1,000 for poultry bird”.

After deliberating on the report, the Speaker of your house, Mr. Titus Uba welcomed the Clerk of your house to check out the costs for the third time after which your house passed the costs into law.

DailyPost