A herd of cattle seen grazing inside the Aso Rock presidential villa last week belonged to the presidency, a veterinary doctor in charge of the state house vet. Clinic, Haruna Tanko, has said.

Mr. Tanko was reacting to a video exclusively obtained and published by PREMIUM TIMES showing suspected herdsmen grazing their cattle within the vicinity of the seat of power.

The video showed a herd of cattle led along a road near the entrance to the vice president’s official residence, obstructing vehicular movements.

However, Mr. Tanko said cattle were “being moved from their ranch to a different location”.

“The cattle ranch was dirty because of the just concluded rainy season and we normally move the cattle and clear the ranch before returning them,” he said.

He also said those seen around the cattle were the staff of the veterinary section, saying “it is not possible for anyone to bring in their cattle inside the villa, certainly not herdsmen”.

Mr. Tanko said the villa usually has different types of animals in its stock. He said the cattle are usually processed for the use of the president and vice president.