Two men, Shehu Umaru, 40, and Muhammadu Riskua, 30, were on Monday arraigned before an Ado-Ekiti Chief Magistrates’ Court for alleged unlawful grazing.
The defendants, whose addresses were not provided, were charged with unlawfully grazing their cattle on an unauthorized farmland in the Itapaji-Ekiti forest.
The prosecutor, ASP Akinwale Oriyomi, told the court that the defendants allegedly committed the offense on Aug. 11 at about 2 p.m. in Itapaji-Ekiti.
Oriyomi said the alleged offense contravened Section 2 and was punishable under Section 7 of the Prohibition of Cattle and Other Ruminant Grazing in Ekiti State Law, 2016.
He urged the court to adjourn the case to enable him to study the case file and assemble his witnesses. The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Counsel to the defendants, Mr Gboyega Abiola, urged the court to grant them bail, assuring that they would not abscond.
In his ruling, Chief Magistrate Abayomi Adeosun granted the defendants bail in the sum of N50,000 each, with one surety each in the same amount. The magistrate adjourned the case until Sept. 14 for hearing.
