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Tag: Miyetti Allah

  • ‘If you kill a herder, don’t go to sleep, we will revisit you’ – Miyetti Allah

    ‘If you kill a herder, don’t go to sleep, we will revisit you’ – Miyetti Allah

    ‘Ifyou kill a herder, don’t go and sleep, we will revisit you,” National Secretary of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Alhassan Saleh has said.

    Saleh added that nobody could evict herdsmen from the south, saying that they would resist such move.

    He also said nobody could stop herdsmen from foreign nation from entering Nigeria to graze their cows.

    He said, “Nobody has the right (to evict herdsmen). If you say you are going to evict us, we will resist eviction. We have been surviving in harsh environments; if we do not resist, we will be wiped out of the planet. If you kill a herder, don’t go and sleep, we will revisit you, and it’s not because we hate your tribe. People attack herders, and in one way or the other, herders have found a way to retaliate.”

    Saleh also defended the right of foreign herders to enter the country saying that they once lived in Nigeria before relocating to other countries.

     

    “All those who travelled to the Benin Republic and others are coming back home. All those saying they will bar foreign herders from entering Nigeria are just playing to the gallery because if they are aware of the ECOWAS Protocols, they would know they cannot chase them away.

    ”That is why the position of the Bauchi State Governor [Bala Mohammed] is the true position. You have no right to evict anybody from any part of the country.

    “Our number has increased recently because of the tension in Ghana and Benin republics. The ones in Benin Republic have integrated with the Yoruba in such a way that they speak the language. They were initially living in the South-West, and they are coming back,” Saleh told The Punch in an interview.

    He also said the eviction notice to herders to leave South West is merely propaganda.

    According to him, “They expected a reaction from us, maybe by way of attacking other ethnic nationalities. But that is wrong because the herders they are attacking are the innocent herders. Are the criminals representing anybody?

    “They are doing their criminal enterprise. Our own pain is that the people who are supposed to know are pretending as if they don’t know.”

  • Miyetti Allah lists conditions to end incessant clashes between farmers, herders

    Miyetti Allah lists conditions to end incessant clashes between farmers, herders

    The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria MACBAN, in the Southeast, says it will support any policy by the government that seeks to stop the clashes between host communities and the herdsmen.

    Miyetti Allah leader was reacting to the decision of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), on the need for the country to transit into modern systems of animal husbandry that would replace open, night and underage grazing across the country.

    The group maintains that the majority of its members have no idea of mechanized grazing while calling on the government to organize training on that for the cattle breeders.

    Speaking with reporters Saturday in Awka, Anambra State, the Chairman of the Association in the Southeast, Alhaji Gidado Sidikki, said about 89 percent of herders had no such knowledge.

    “The government should train us so that we can plan with the modern system of animal husbandry because the majority of us have no knowledge of Mechanized Farming”

    He disclosed that the association in the southeast zone was in support of any government policy that would put to an end, the continued clashes between Fulani herders and farmers in the country. So long the policy would be of benefit to both parties.

    He noted that the National leadership of MACBAN, had banned night grazing, four years ago.

    He, however, commended the southeast Governors for their continued support to the association in the zone.

    Sidikki, therefore urged farmers and host communities where his people were residing to always report any disagreement to the security or other relevant authorities for prompt action to avoid the destruction of lives and property.

    The association listed conditions to be followed by the government to stop incessant clashes between its members and farmers in the country.

    According to Siddiki, “the governors’ position is a welcome development, but for the policy to work as expected, the following provisions must be in place for peace and equity.

    “They are training and re-training of Fulani herdsmen on Mechanized Grazing, provision of land for Ranching in the 36 states of the federation and the FCT and a continue Town Hall Meetings between Government, Farmers and the Herders in the affected areas.

    “I believe with all these, it will bring to an end, the lingering crisis between the farmers and herder in the country, Siddiki added.

     

  • Expose criminal herders, Miyetti Allah tells members

    Expose criminal herders, Miyetti Allah tells members

    The Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in Ekiti State, Alhaji Adamu Abache, has directed members to henceforth expose any herdsman seen perpetrating crime in the state.

    Abache said revealing the identities of Fulani herdsmen with criminal tendencies would protect the integrity of herders doing legitimate businesses in Ekiti and disabuse the minds of Nigerians that not all herdsmen are criminals.

    The MACBAN leader spoke in Ado Ekiti, on Thursday, during a security meeting organised by the Ekiti State chapter of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) for all ethnic nationalities in the state.

    Speaking at the event where participants brainstormed on how to ensure peaceful co-existence among ethnic groups to tackle insecurity, Abache said MACBAN had banned the use of the underage for cattle rearing in the state.

    He said: “Fulani herdsmen living in Ekiti are for peace and we will continue to live together with our hosts in peace. Our own support will always be to the government of the day for all of us to enjoy peace.

    “But the government should help us by providing identity cards for all members, because the herdsmen are facing a lot of challenges in the forests regarding identification.

    “The government must mandatorily register the number of Fulani herdsmen living in Ekiti. The bio-data must be done through our local government heads. The government must know where we live and where we do our businesses and whoever perpetrates criminal activities can be traced, arrested and handed over to the police.

    “We want to bring to your notice that we have cancelled the idea of using underage children for cattle rearing. I have ordered my people to expose any herder or group of herders found perpetrating criminality, because we want peace and we want to live in peace with Ekiti people.”

    The Head of Hausa Community in Ekiti, Alhaji Adamu Liman, said the issue of kidnapping had been existing for over three decades in the country, but added that it has become more lucrative through payment of huge ransoms.

    Liman submitted that though herdsmen might not have been absolutely innocent of the litany of kidnapping allegations levelled against them, but added that it would also be biased and premature for people to conclude that Fulani herders were solely responsible for the crime around the country.

    “This is where I support this issue of registration as mooted by Miyetti Allah. Government through our royal fathers must know those who live around them, those who are in their farmsteads and what they are capable of doing. This is the best way to curb insecurity,” he said.

    The PCRC Chairman in the state, Mr. Sunday Makinde, disclosed that the meeting was conceptualised to fashion a way of resolving all the litany of security hiccups being experienced in Ekiti in recent time.

    Makinde said the challenges of herders-farmers’ clashes, kidnapping, banditry and rape would be tackled easily with all the diverse ethnic groups making resolute commitment to help the government in tackling the crises.

    “It is better to take proactive action now in order to prevent a conflict that could possibly engulf a whole subregion, and become a humanitarian crisis in the world. All hands must be on deck in order to address all forms of security challenges in Nigeria, as they are happening now,” he said.

  • Governors, Miyetti Allah ban night grazing, illegal occupation of forest reserves in South West

    Governors, Miyetti Allah ban night grazing, illegal occupation of forest reserves in South West

    The Nigerian Governors’ Forum and the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MICBAN) have agreed to the prohibition of night grazing and illegal occupation of forest reserves in the Southwest region of Nigeria.

    In a communique at the end of a security meeting between the governors, MACBAN and heads of security agencies on Monday in Akure, it was also resolved that grazing by under-aged herders was prohibited.

    Governors in attendance at the meeting included Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi, Mohammed Abubakar of Jigawa and Gboyega Oyetola of Osun.
    Others were Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and former deputy governor of Osun, Senator Iyiola Omisore.

    Gov. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti, and Chairman, Nigeria Governor’s Forum, who read the communique, said that free range grazing must be stopped to avoid conflicts between farmers and herders.

    Fayemi urged MACBAN to embrace and be committed to modern breeding process by creating grazing reserves and practice ranching to prevent cattle roaming about.

    The governor, who said MACBAN also suffers insecurity and kidnapping, expressed confidence in peaceful moves by the states to engender security and economic opportunities in the country.

    According to him, the order of Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State was misconstrued and misrepresented by a section of the media, “as he only ordered those occupying the forest reserves in Ondo State illegally to quit.

    “No one has sent anyone away from any state or region but all hands must be on deck to fight criminality,” he said.

    Recall that Akeredolu had issued a seven-day ultimatum last Monday for the eviction of herdsmen occupying the forest reserves illegally.

    However, some sections of the social media had misinterpreted the order, and reported that the governor had issued an ultimatum for Fulani herdsmen to vacate Ondo State.

    Earlier, Alhaji Muhammadu Kiruwa, National President, MACBAN, had urged his members to desist from grazing cows into farmlands, grazing at night and grazing by minors.

    Kiruwa, who assured of the cooperation of MACBAN at all time, directed executive members of the association in every state to work with all security outfits to tackle crime.

    In his remarks, AIG Olufemi Agunbiade of the Nigeria Police, Zone 11, Osogbo, urged people not to give crime any ethnic or religious colouration.

    “Crime does not have religious or ethnic affiliations. A kidnapper is a kidnapper,” he said.

  • Gani Adams backs Sunday Igboho, issues warnings to Miyetti Allah, ACF

    Gani Adams backs Sunday Igboho, issues warnings to Miyetti Allah, ACF

    Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams has warned Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association and Arewa Consultative Forum not to turn the South West into a war zone.

    Adams said this in a press statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Aderemi.

    “The apex organisation in the North and the herders association should watch their statements or face the wrath of the Yoruba nation .

    “By their inciting statements, the North is beating war drums. But we will resist any attempt by the North to turn our region into war zones and no amount of threat will stop us from securing our region from killer herdsmen.

    “From my findings, what is playing out in the last three days ( especially on the social media ), it is evident that there are some enemies and political elements both within and outside our region who are now using the bravery of Sunday Igboho as a coordinated attempt to soil my name , and also put my efforts in the past 28 years in the struggle to test.

    “My silence in the last three days doesn’t portray me as a coward, but by virtue of my position as the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, I am bound by my conscience and conviction to act accordingly when the time is right . And I must also consult widely before taking any action.

    “What Igboho said was not even as damaging to the sanctity of the nation than ( sic ) the call for civil war by the ACF and the Miyetti Allah put together .

    “The killer herdsmen are the major problem but sadly the Federal Government remains silent.

    “There are reports that the Fulani herdsmen have, in the past five years , killed over 300 Yoruba people from different communities while several other people have been kidnapped with victims paying several billion as ransom.

    “The Fulani, in their conqueror agenda since 1818 had caused a lot of damage to the southwest .

    And it is clear that the south is their target, that is why anybody going against the Fulani herdsmen automatically becomes their enemy, ”he said.

  • Quit notice to herdsmen: South West governors, Miyetti Allah to meet in Ondo on Monday

    Quit notice to herdsmen: South West governors, Miyetti Allah to meet in Ondo on Monday

    South-West Governors including Governor Rotimi Akeredolu would meet with the leadership of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria on Monday.

    The meeting was meant to find lasting solutions as the seven-day ultimatum issued by Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, to Fulani herdsmen to vacate the state’s forest reserves expired on Sunday.

    The meeting was also meant to end incessant killings, kidnapping, and crises between herdsmen and farmers in Ondo state.

    The meeting would be held in Akure, the state capital.

    The Ondo State Chairman of MACBAN, Alhaji Bello Garba, who confirmed the development, said the national leadership of the association had arrived in Akure in preparation for the peace meeting.

    “The National Chairman of Miyetti Allah is in town now and I cannot talk about what we want to discuss at the meeting but I can assure you that we are going to address the press tomorrow after the meeting,” Garba told Punch.

  • Presidency, Akeredolu trade words over order seeking herders to vacate Ondo’s forests

    Presidency, Akeredolu trade words over order seeking herders to vacate Ondo’s forests

    The Presidency on Tuesday cautioned Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu on his plans to eject herdsmen from the state government forest reserves.

    Recall that Governor Rotimi Akeredolu gave a seven days ultimatum to herders to comply with an order seeking that vacate Ondo’s frests and also banned under-aged grazing, night grazing, movement of cattle within the cities and highways.

    However, the Secretary General of the Miyeti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Usman Baba-Ngelzerma, had reacted that the association had not been formally informed.

    But in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President called for restraint on the side of the state government and the Fulani communities.

    In the statement titled, ‘In tackling crime, Ondo State Government will not act outside the constitution,’ the Presidency also called on both sides to continue their dialogue.

    The statement reads partly, “Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, a seasoned lawyer, Senior Advocate of Nigeria and indeed, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, has fought crime in his state with passion and commitment, greater sensitivity and compassion for the four years he has run its affairs and, in our view, will be the least expected to unilaterally oust thousands of herders who have lived all their lives in the state on account of the infiltration of the forests by criminals.

    “If this were to be the case, rights groups will be right in expressing worries that the action could set off a chain of events which the makers of our constitution foresaw and tried to guard against.

    “We want to make it clear that kidnapping, banditry and rustling are crimes, no matter the motive or who is involved. But, to define crime from the nameplates, as a number of commentators have erroneously done- which group they belong to, the language they speak, their geographical location or their faith is atavistic and cruel.

    “We need to delink terrorism and crimes from ethnicity, geographical origins and religion—to isolate the criminals who use this interchange of arguments to hinder law enforcement efforts as the only way to deal effectively with them.

    “The President, who swore to defend the constitution has spoken against the Indigenous People of Biafra in asking citizens of Northern origin to leave; he did not spare the group based in Sokoto, ‘Muslim Solidarity Forum,’ which asked the Bishop of Sokoto to leave and is prepared to do all that the law permits to protect citizens all over the country in their choice of where they wished to reside and are treated as equal citizens.”

    In a swift reaction, the Ondo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Donald Ojogo, said the Presidency statement had stated “unambiguously, the position of the Federal Government.

    “The Ondo State Government did not ask Fulani to leave the state. The governor said herdsmen who are unregistered should leave our forests. The statement from Garba Shehu is brazen display of emotional attachments and it’s very inimical to the corporate existence of Nigeria. We need clearly defined actions on the part of the Federal Government to decimate the erroneous impression that the inspiration of these criminal elements masquerading as herdsmen is that of power. Our unity is threatened, no doubt.

    “It (statement) states in a breath that the governor fights crime with passion while it is prevaricating on the atrocities. The question is, are the herdsmen who are perpetrating murder, kidnapping and robbery more important than government and even the Federal Government in this case? Ethnic nationality and activism on the part of anyone hiding under the Presidency or federal government is an ill wind,” the commissioner added.

    Earlier, Ojogo had declared that there was no going back on its order asking herdsmen to vacate all the forest reserves in the state.

    Ojogo had said, “The governor’s directive except they are telling the world that Miyetti Allah is above every law in the land.

    In the same vein, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matter, Alhaji Jimoh Dojumo, said, “I want to advise those operating within the forest legally to register with the state government. The truth is that if they (herdsmen) still want to remain in the forest; let them come and register, we want to know the people occupying our forest.”

  • Miyetti Allah greets Christians at Christmas, sues for peaceful coexistence

    Miyetti Allah greets Christians at Christmas, sues for peaceful coexistence

    The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), South East zone, has felicitated with Christians urging all to use the Christmas period to pray for peaceful coexistence.

    The Southeast Zone Chairman of MACBAN, Alhaji Gidado Siddiki, said in a statement on Thursday in Enugu that imbibing the teachings of Jesus Christ would promote peaceful coexistence all over the country.

    “It is yet another special time when our Christian brothers and sisters from the Southeast travel home in their numbers from across the world for Christmas.

    “The members of MACBAN in the zone heartily pray for journey mercy to those that will be embarking on one journey or the other within this period.

    “We welcome our brothers back to their home states,’’ he stated.

    Siddiki also felicitated with the various state governments in the zone and urged them to continue to ensure the security of lives and property.

    He said that though the outgoing year had its challenges, Nigerians were resilient enough absorb all the shocks 2020 threw at them.

    “We wish to thank the various state governments and host communities in the zone for allowing us conducive space to ply our trade of cattle rearing and sales.

    “We appreciate them for exhibiting exemplary lesson in brotherhood among the various tribes in Nigeria. We shall continue to pray for a better country where rights and privileges will be equitably spread.

    “We pray that 2021 guarantees all of us greater life, good health, prosperity and unity in God’s name,’’ Siddiki added.

  • We’ll partner Miyetti Allah, others to ensure Kankara abduction does not happen again – IGP

    We’ll partner Miyetti Allah, others to ensure Kankara abduction does not happen again – IGP

    The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu on Wednesday visited the Katsina State Police Command to meet with officers of the Nigeria Police Force.

    The IGP vowed that the abduction of the students from Government Science Secondary School Ƙankara will never happen again.

    Upon his visit, the police boss met with the tactical units, the area commanders, the DPOs, and Commanders of Operation Puff Adder in order to make sure that Katsina is made a crime-free environment.

    He said that with the recent abduction of scores of students from Government Science Secondary School Ƙankara, the Nigeria Police Force has resolved never to allow such incidence to repeat itself in the state.

    IGP Adamu, while describing the police as the lead agency in internal Security in the country revealed that internal security is the role of the police to maintain law and order adding that for that reason, the police will never give any opportunity for criminals to thrive.

    “Recently we have seen an act of Banditry moving from the epicenter we used to know and were converging in Katsina state.

    “We believe we must strategize with other stakeholders, citizens of the state, and cooperative partners like Miyetti Allah and other law enforcement agencies so that every nooks and cranny of the state are manned and not to allow any space for these criminals to operate whether in the morning, afternoon or night.”

    The IGP’s statement comes after gunmen suspected to be bandits on December 11, invaded the Government Science Secondary School in Kankara and kidnapped hundreds of schoolboys.

    They were later released on December 16 which was confirmed by the State Governor, Aminu Masari.

  • Army counters Gov Masari for praising Miyetti Allah over release of kidnapped schooldboys in Katsina

    Army counters Gov Masari for praising Miyetti Allah over release of kidnapped schooldboys in Katsina

    The defence headquarters on Friday countered the narrative of Katsina Governor, Bello Masari who praised Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association for playing a major role in the release of the schoolboys.

    Masari had on Wednesday, said that the gunmen who attacked Government Science Secondary School in Kankara Local Government Area of the state and kidnapped schoolboys have been contacted.

    He added that the government was negotiating the boys’ freedom through the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN).
    says the troops of Operation Hadarin Daji successfully rescued all 344 abducted students of Government Science Secondary School Kankara, Katsina state.

    However, on Friday, John Enenche, spokesman of the Defence Headquarters, posited that the military rescued the captives, thanking “the members of general public who volunteered information are also appreciated”.

    He said the students were rescued “on the heels of credible intelligence by the gallant troops”, with high degree of professionalism to ensure they were all rescued alive.

    “Keeping to its promise to ensure the safe return of all abducted students of Government Science Secondary School Kankara, Katsina State, troops of Operation HADARIN DAJI rescued all 344 abducted students on Thursday 17 December 2020,” he said.

    “The Military High Command commends troops of Operation Hadarin Daji including all security agencies for their dexterity.”

    Corroborating Masari’s standpoint, Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle said the 344 schoolboys who were abducted from Katsina and taken to a forest in the state were released with no ransom paid to their kidnappers.

    The governor also told newsmen that the state was able to secure their release through the help of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and repentant bandits.