Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi on Thursday said southern Nigeria  have no cattle  routes and was not created for open grazing unlike Northern part of Nigerian with cattle routes. 

Southern governors, in a meeting held at Asaba, Delta State, unanimously banned open grazing in southern Nigeria in a bid to tackle increasing insecurity and violence associated with activities of herders in the region. 

Speaking on Channels TV on Thursday, Mr Umahi said open grazing is suitable in Northern part of Nigeria where there are cattle routes but not good in southern Nigeria where there are no cattle routes. 

“In the South-East you don’t have cattle routes. But in the North, we have cattle routes. So nobody will say ban open grazing in the North where there are cattle routes, where they move constitutionally from one point to the other,” Mr Umahi said. 

He added that ban on open grazing is to prevent destructions of farms common with herders walking their herds through peoples farms in southern Nigeria. 

“But in the South there is not cattle route. So for you to move from one point to the other you have to move through farms. You have to move through densely populated areas,” Mr Umahi said. “That is not good. That’s why southern governors, especially South-East governors, are saying let’s go back to our traditional method of relationship. We will no longer allow you take your cattle from one local government to the other.” 

On Wednesday, minister of justice Abubakar Malami said the ban of open grazing in southern Nigeria was illegal. 

Mr Malami said “It is about constitutionality within the context of the freedom of expression enshrined in our constitution. Can you deny the rights of a Nigerian? “It is as good as saying the northern governors come together to say that they forbid spare part trading in the North.”