Benue State government has released to the owners a total of 210 cattle earlier impounded by the state Livestock Guards Task Force for violating its laws against open grazing in two Local Government Areas.

Commander of the Livestock Guards, Linus Zaki, said that 140 of the cattle were arrested at Mballgh council ward in Makurdi LGA while the remaining 70 bringing the total to 210 were impounded from Ggbajimgba in Guma LGA.

Zaki who handed the seized animals to their owners in Makurdi, encouraged them to respect the state’s law which banned open grazing since 2017, adding that they had fulfilled the requirements for violating the law.

“We can’t stop implementing the law so they (herders) should do the right thing by obeying the law,” the Livestock commander said.

Reacting, the State Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Risku Mohammed, who led some members of his executives to include his secretary, Ibrahim Galma and the owners of the cattle to receive the animals appreciated the Benue government for keeping the cattle safe.

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Mohammed admitted that the herders had trespassed the anti-open grazing law of the state as he stressed that some of them were yet to fully understand the law and that was why there were still pockets of violation in different areas of the state.

He appealed for time to enable the association effectively educate and orientate their members about the law, stressing the need for government to provide a pilot ranching for them to learn the rudiments.

On his part, the owner of the 140 animals, Abdullahi Haruna, said he had followed the due process for the release of his cattle and therefore came with vans to evacuate them.

While the owner of the 70 cows, Haro Audu, said his children had herded the cattle into Benue state but appreciated the peaceful release of the animals back to him.

The Ekiti State High Court has sentenced a 45-year-old man, Mohammed Isiaka, to death by hanging for killing one Yakubu Jimoh.

The court, nonetheless, discharged and acquitted two others – Ismaila Okoro, 20, and Awolusi Bidemi, 23.

Delivering the judgment, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye, said, “The first accused is sentenced to death by hanging for murder on count one; and on count two, he is sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment with N20,000 option of fine for unlawful possession of firearms.”

The judge also sentenced him to six months’ imprisonment for unlawful possession of the Nigerian Army uniform with an option of fine of N2,000.

He, however, acquitted the second and third defendants, saying, “In the case, there was no bit of evidence before me from which it could be inferred that the accused persons conspired to commit the offence of murder.

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“The only option open to me in the circumstance is to hold that the prosecution had not proved the offence of conspiracy beyond reasonable doubt against the accused persons. In the circumstance, the 2nd and 3rd defendants are hereby discharged and acquitted.”

According to the charge, the first accused committed the offence on or about March 27, 2017, at Igirigiri village in Ado Ekiti, when he murdered one Yakubu Jimoh contrary to Section 316 and punishable under sections 319 and 428 (d) of the Criminal Code Law, Cap. C16 of Ekiti State of Nigeria, 2012.

The prosecutor, Mr Gbemiga Adaramola, called six witnesses, while exhibits tendered included a gun, an army belt, a portrait picture, a mask, a human skull and bones, charms, among others.

The second and third defendants, who spoke through their counsel, Sunday Ochayi and Mr Busuyi Ayorinde, called one witness each.

Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, in Osun State, has fixed new dates for its post-UTME screening exercise.

Abiodun Olarewaju, the Public Relations Officer of the University read this in a press statement titled, ‘OAU fixes new post-UTME dates’ on Thursday.

The statement read in part, “All candidates are hereby informed that new dates, which starts from Saturday, 27th February 2021, will be conducted in two centers: Ile-Ife and Abuja.

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“The Post UTME Screening Exercise, which will be conducted in Ile-Ife centre, between Saturday, 27th February and Wednesday, 3rd March 2021 will be on OAU campus and its Centre for Distance Learning, in Moro, while the Abuja Centre will hold on Saturday, 6th March 2021 at the JAMB CBT Centre, Bwari, Abuja.

“In view of this, candidates are advised to log in to the https://www.admissions.oauife.edu.ng to print out their Screening Slips which contain actual dates and venues for each of them, beginning from Sunday, 14th February 2021.