Benue State Government has raised an alarm over armed herdsmen with large herds of cattle taking over the state.

The Deputy Governor of Benue State, Engineer Benson Abounu, at a press conference in Makurdi, the state capital, Abounu disclosed that 376 cows and six herdsmen were apprehended in Kaseyo, Guma Local Government Area of the state and the herders were being investigated by authorities.

He revealed that following the declaration by the Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule about regrouping of Boko Haram insurgents at the boundary between Benue and Nasarawa, uncovered the mass presence of cattle along River Benue in Agatu and Gwer West Local Government Areas.

He added that security checks revealed the invasion of armed herdsmen with AK47 rifles and large herds of cattle by the riverside on Nasarawa State bank.

Abounu made it known that the cows had already been kept at the quarantine centre in the state and would be released to the owners after fulfilling the necessary conditions.

He also noted that Benue state is governed by laws, and the prohibition of open grazing has been enforced with the primary aim of ending conflicts between herders and farmers.

The deputy Governor therefore urged livestock farmers to acquire land in the state through a lease for their businesses, adding that Benue is not in any way contemplating to abrogate the law for any reason.