Suspected Armed Fulani herdsmen, have on Monday evening, invaded the $300 million National Stadium Complex in Abuja, turning it into a grazing reserve for their cattle.
This is in spite of an existing order, prohibiting open grazing in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, an order the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, AEPB, is empowered to enforce.
The invasion came barely few days after the FCT Minister, Muhammad Musa Bello, had directed the AEPB and the FCT Task Team on Environment, to get rid of herdsmen involved in grazing in the capital city.
The herdsmen, who usually invade the stadium in groups to feed their cattle, sometimes overwhelm the stadium security officials who try to stop them from their activities, especially at the Package B section of the stadium.
“It has been a routine for these herdsmen to herd their cows to this place for grazing, especially in the last one year. They invade the stadium at will, and it seems nobody is ready to stop or caution them,” said a security official attached to the stadium.
Also Speaking, the Stadium Manager, Sati Mbok, said that the management has been making frantic efforts to stop the herdsmen, but they have rather continued to increase in their numbers.
It was learnt that the herdsmen, who are usually armed with some dangerous weapons, have become a source of concern to those who are managing the expansive stadium.
The Public Relations Officer of AEPB, Sam Musa, said added, that the agency has taken several measures to tackle the problem of the herdsmen, but has encountered a lot of impediments in their bid to flush the cows out of the city.
“We’ve really been warning and sensitizing them, and the process is on-going, because you know some of them are new in the city and they keep having the information. We have been working together with their leaders to also sensitize them. You know education is number one; once you educate people and they can understand why they should not do it, our job becomes easier,” Musa said.
However, beyond the challenge posed by these herdsmen, under-utilization and poor maintenance culture has turned the $300 million National Stadium, Abuja, into an abandoned edifice, with many of its key facilities rusting away, and a huge chunk of the expansive sports complex overgrown with weeds.
The multi-million dollar edifice, was built when Nigeria hosted the 8th All Africa Games in 2003, COJA, 13 years ago, but has become a shadow of itself over time.
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