The Ogun State Government has issued a stern warning reminding all cattle owners and herders that the Animal Grazing Regulation and Cattle Ranch Establishment Law, enacted in 2021, remains firmly in force. Violators will face arrest, prosecution, imprisonment for up to three years, and permanent forfeiture of their livestock to the state.
The warning, communicated by Hon. Kayode Akinmade, Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to Governor Dapo Abiodun, came in response to recent incidents involving traffic obstruction, farmland encroachment, and crop destruction attributed to open grazing.
According to the statement, herders were repeatedly flouting the ban by allowing cattle to graze in undesignated areas, disrupting traffic flow and invading private farmlands, a direct violation of the law. The state government emphasised that such conduct will no longer be tolerated.
Under the terms of the law, anyone found grazing or rearing livestock outside designated ranches faces a minimum three‑year jail sentence, no option of fine, and forfeiture of their herd to the state.
Akinmade reiterated the government’s commitment to modern, lawful cattle rearing practices but stressed that “no person has the right to obstruct traffic, trespass on private land, or engage in conflict in the name of grazing”.
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Background
The Animal Grazing Regulation and Cattle Ranch Establishment Law (HB No. 045/OG/2021) was passed by the Ogun State House of Assembly on July 8, 2021, and signed into law by Governor Abiodun later that year.
The law applies statewide and mandates that all livestock grazing must occur within state‑approved cattle ranches, eliminating the practice of open grazing across Ogun State.
The legislation was part of a broader initiative aligned with the Southern Governors’ Forum, which set a September 2021 deadline for anti‑grazing laws across southern states .
Key Penalties under the Law:
Grazing outside designated ranches attracts 3 years imprisonment with
No option of fine,
Forfeiture of cattle of livestock to state
Ogun authorities have reaffirmed their resolve to enforce the law stringently, urging security agencies and local actors to act decisively. The government emphasised that herd owners and herders are welcome to operate only within legally permitted frameworks and any breach will attract severe consequences.
The anti‑grazing law is not temporary or symbolic, it is actively enforced.
Violators stand to lose not only freedom (through imprisonment) but also the legal ownership of their cattle.
The state has signalled zero tolerance for open grazing-related disruptions.
