BREAKING: Ekiti Court Sends Fulani Herdsman To 2 Years Imprisonment For Grazing

 

A Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced one Ali Haruna to two years imprisonment for taking his cows for grazing in a farmland in Ado-Ekiti and destroying crops.

The Magistrate, Idowu Ayenimo, in his judgement, said the accused was arraigned in his court on Jan 22, 2016 over a two-count charge of wilful and unlawful damage of farm crops at Ago Aduloju in Ado-Ekiti.

The cash crops said to have destroyed by the cows in the farm included cassava, maize, okro and pepper, all valued at N3 million.

The magistrate held that the Police prosecutor, Mr Olasunkanmi Bankole, had proved his case beyond reasonable doubt.

He thereby convicted the defendant as charged without option of fine.

The magistrate ordered that the sentence should run concurrently, explaining that the term was minimal because the offence was committed before the Grazing Law was promulgated in the state.

The defence counsel, Mr Chris Omokhafe, had prayed the court to be liberal in the dispensation of justice, saying that he was a first offender.