AGF Malami says Southern Governors cannot ban open grazing

The Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, has expressed disapproval with the ban on open grazing in the southern region of the country.

The Southern Governors' Forum last week resolved to ban open grazing of cattle across the region due to security concerns.

Conflict between nomadic herders and local farmers caused by open grazing has led to the death of hundreds of people and displacement of thousands from their local communities.

The southern governors noted with concern the incursion of armed herders and criminal bandits into the south, escalating insecurity that has hampered citizens from living their normal lives.

The move was received with acceptance in the south but has been met with hostility from certain personalities in the northern region where a handful of state also have open grazing laws in place.

During an interview on Channels TV on Wednesday, May 19, 2021, Malami said governors cannot deny the freedom of Nigerians to move around the country.

He said, "It's about constitutionality. Within the context of the freedoms enshrined in our constitution, can you deny a right of a Nigerian?

"For example, it's as good as saying the northern governors coming together to say they forbid spare parts trading in the north. Does it hold water?"

The AGF said the announcement by the southern governors does not hold water, and that they should seek to amend the constitution instead.

The minister said the governors must approach the National Assembly and get the necessary support to amend the constitution before they can take such a huge action on constitutionally-backed liberties.

"It is indeed a dangerous position for any governor in Nigeria to think that he can bring about any compromise to the freedom and liberty of individuals to move around," he said.

Malami also poured scorn on the calls by governors for the restructuring of the country, an exercise expected to devolve a lot of powers from the Federal Government to the subnational governments.

The AGF said the governors need to put their own houses in order first, and ensure the functionality of the local government system which he accused them of suppressing despite being a tier of government itself.

The southern governors had last week said Nigeria's progress requires urgent and bold steps to restructure the country to practice true federalism.

They demanded state police, a review of revenue allocation formula, and creation of other institutions to give more power to sub-national governments.