May 02, 2025
By Ayinde Adeleke
Akure Magistrate Court has delivered a landmark judgment, sentencing herdsman Dab Bello to pay a N20 million compensation or face a 10-year jail term for destroying a farmland worth N50 million.
The culprit was found guilty of breaching the Ondo State Livestock Rearing and Grazing Regulation Law, 2021, by grazing his cattle on farmland without a permit.
The court heard that on the day of the incident in 2023, Bello’s cattle grazed on two hectares of land owned by the National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria (NPPAN) in Owo Local Government Area, destroying young palm trees and watermelons.
Prosecuting counsel, P.O. Nwafor, told the court that the action was a clear violation of the law, saying, “The grazing occurred without a permit and on land not designated for such use by the state government.”
The situation worsened when the herders returned to set fire to the farm the next day. Presiding Magistrate Damilola Sekoni found the evidence presented by the prosecution to be “credible and sufficient.”
In her ruling, Sekoni said, “The jail terms would run concurrently, but the convict would be discharged if N20 million compensation were paid to the complainant.”
Specifically, the court sentenced Bello to four years imprisonment on count one without an option of a fine, two years on count two with an option of N50,000 fine, and one year each on counts three and four.
Bello was also jailed for two years without an option on count five. However, the convict would be discharged if N20 million compensation were paid to the complainant as the jail terms would run concurrently if the fine is not paid the total jail term is 10 years.
The judgment serves as a deterrent to others who may attempt to flout the state’s anti-open grazing law.
