Nigeria Police cannot arrest herdsmen for allowing cattle to graze on airport runways – CP
The Commissioner of Police, Airport Command, Mustapha Dandaura breaks silence.
He said herdsmen could only be arrested in states where the anti-open grazing law was effective. Thus, the helplessness of state governors in Nigeria to police and secure the residents of their states.
He told PUNCH correspondents that, “It’s only in states where the anti-open grazing law is in place that herdsmen can be arrested for allowing their cattle to graze on airport runways. Apart from those states, we have not been told from Abuja to start arresting herdsmen”
Last Saturday, an Air Peace flight from Lagos had been prevented from landing at the Akure Airport, Ondo State as cows took over the runway.
A similar incident had occurred in November 2016 when a fully-loaded plane belonging to Air Peace had to abort landing at the Sam Mbakwe Airport, Owerri, Imo State when the pilot discovered that the runway had been invaded by cows.
Before the Owerri episode, an Air France plane was reported to have collided with cows at the runway of the Port Harcourt International Airport.
Source: PUNCH
