A cattle rearer, Nurudeen Semiu, has been sentenced to five years in prison for violating Oyo State‘s Anti-Open Grazing Law of 2019.
Semiu was apprehended on Thursday near the Oyo State Government Secretariat in Agodi, Ibadan, along with nine cows. The cows were found grazing in broad daylight at the motorcycle park beside the Secretariat gate, prompting members of the Oyo State Rule of Law Enforcement Authority (OYRLEA) taskforce to file a complaint with the Ministry of Agriculture.
Following the complaint, police officers from the Secretariat gate division arrested Semiu and relocated the cows to the Ministry of Agriculture.
The chairperson of OYRLEA, Hon. Justice Aderonke Aderemi, ordered the swift prosecution of the offender. During the tribunal hearing, held at the Ministry of Environment under charge number OYRLEA/19/12/2024, the prosecuting counsel, N.Y. Aderibigbe, presented a four-count charge.
Semiu pleaded guilty to two charges and not guilty to the remaining ones. After the trial, the presiding officer, Barrister Kunle Abimbola, sentenced him to five years imprisonment. The court, however, provided an option of a fine of N1,700,000 in lieu of the prison term.
This conviction underscores Oyo State’s commitment to enforcing its anti-open grazing law to address security and agricultural concerns.
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