Simon Lalong, The Governor of Plateau state has taken his own stance on the herdsmen killings in an interview with the state house correspondents on Thursday:
Lalong claims that he warned governor Ortom about the potential danger the herdsmen posed. He said, “It was wrong to start implementing the law without proper alternatives.
“To be honest with you, I advised him. I told the governor of Benue State when he was doing the law; I said ‘look, why don’t you tread softly, just be careful, take other steps before you start implementation.”
“But you see, states are different. His own concepts are different and for us on the Plateau, it is different. I said I will not do the law before implementation. I have not developed the ranching areas so I cannot go and say I put a law, to stop who? If I stop the people, what is the alternative?”
“So, I said ‘do consultations allow the people to understand and buy into the concepts.’”
Lalong finished by stating that his administration will not implement the anti-grazing law.
“There are levels of implementation which will require government intervention, provision of ranches as well as subsidy from federal and state governments.
“By the time every structure was on ground, then the government could promulgate laws to regulate the implementation.
“Ranching as a concept; it is a policy and there are states realising the importance of the policy.
“I cannot wake up like some people said last year that I should go and do anti-grazing Law. And I asked ‘anti-grazing law for what?”