Fulani herdsmen dare Wike, graze cows in Aso Villa

• A group of cattle were seen feeding near the CBN and Christian Ecumenical Centre in Abuja on Sunday.
• The observation was made by Peoples Gazette, with photos and a video captured around 1:52 p.m
  

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Several days following the caution from FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to Fulani herdsmen against grazing their cattle in the city center, a group of Fulani herders was observed on Sunday engaging in precisely that activity within the city center.

Mr. Wike had issued the warning upon taking up his position as FCT minister the previous Monday, asserting that grazing of cows within the city center would not be permitted.

“We cannot allow cows inside the city. It can be outside the city. That is the way it should be done,” Mr Wike said.

“Because the grasses are outside the city. The grasses are not here. These are grasses we planted to beautify the city. The ones in the area councils are the ones that can eat.”

However, on Sunday, Peoples Gazette observed a group of cattle openly feeding on grass along Goodluck Jonathan Expressway in close proximity to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Christian Ecumenical Centre, both situated in Abuja.

The Gazette captured photos and a video of the cows grazing near the CBN around 1:52 p.m. on that same Sunday.

The CBN is situated at Plot 33, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Way, within the Central Business District of Abuja, and is just a short distance away from Aso Presidential Villa.

Despite the positive reception of Mr. Wike’s admonition against open grazing in the city center, the fact that cows have returned to the streets of Abuja suggests that Fulani herders may not be complying with his directive.

Over the past eight years, during the tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari, Fulani herdsmen have permitted their cattle to graze openly within the city center.

While this behavior was criticized, the Buhari administration took no action to address it, allowing herders to graze their cattle from the Jabi district to Asokoro, Maitama, and the Central Business District, where important institutions like the State House, National Assembly, and Supreme Court are located.