A committee of five state governors has been constituted and mandated to visit states affected by the crisis between farmers and herdsmen across the country.
The sub-committee was constituted on Thursday by the 10-man working group set up by the National Economic Council (NEC) and headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to look into the crisis which has led to the deaths of dozens.
READ ALSO: Osinbajo Heads NEC Committee On Herdsmen-Famers Crisis, Killings
The Osinbajo-led committee, during its resumed sitting today in Abuja, directed the sub-committee to hold consultations with stakeholders and interested parties in the affected states on how to end the conflicts.
It is also expected to co-opt relevant experts and technical groups in the discharge of its assignment.
The sub-committee, which has Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State as Chairman, would visit Benue, Taraba, Zamfara and Adamawa states, in order to understand the different dynamics of the conflict and develop long-term workable solutions.
Other governors who are members include Simon Lalong (Plateau), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Darius Ishaku (Taraba), and Bindo Jubrilla (Adamawa).
Thursday’s meeting was also attended by governors of Zamfara (Abdul’Aziz Yari), and Kaduna (Nasir El-Rufai); as well as the deputy governors of Oyo (Moses Adeyemo), and Benue (Benson Abuonu).
The Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, and his counterpart in the Ministry of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, were also in attendance.
On January 18, the Osinbajo-led committee was constituted to work in accordance with President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to ensuring that all perpetrators of violence in the clashes are brought to book and to also bring an end to the conflicts.
While Benue State is the most hit by the violence after Governor Ortom banned open grazing in the state, Taraba also recorded a number of deaths as a result of the conflicts.
This also prompted the state government to effect the ban on open grazing across Taraba on Wednesday last week.
