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Tag: herdsmen

  • Herdsmen kill three policemen, six others in Adamawa, Niger, Delta attacks

    Herdsmen kill three policemen, six others in Adamawa, Niger, Delta attacks

    The herdsmen’s reign of terror continued at the weekend with attacks in Adamawa and Niger States, causing the death of three riot policemen and two other missing A man was killed in Niger State, many were injured

    In Delta, no fewer five people have been found dead in some communities, believed to have been killed after the herdsmen’s attack.

    The police Adamwa in Adamawa State yesterday confirmed the killing of three riot policemen and the disappearance of two others in an attack by suspected herdsmen in Demsa Local Government Area.

    The policemen were among those drafted to secure Kwayine, Gidan Dadi and Karlahi communities after clashes that followed the killing of 47 cattle in the area.

    Spokesman of Adamawa police, Mr. Othman Abubakar, said four rifles belonging to the policemen were also missing.

    “Fulani militia attacked the three villages and we lost three of our gallant MOPOL while two are missing.

    “We have constituted a high-powered search team and by the special grace of God, we are going to recover our men.

    “On the side of the civilians, two bodies have so far been recovered,” Othman said.

    The spokesman said the police had succeeded in killing scores of the militias who however escaped with their dead ones.

    Abubakar said more policemen had been drafted to the affected areas.

    In Niger State, one person was killed and 15 others were injured – some seriously – in a midnight attack by cattle rustlers in Angwar Umadi Village in Shiroro local government area.

    The attack came barely 24 hours after the state government had assured the people of Shiroro and Rafi local government areas of its readiness to tackle the upsurge in cases of kidnapping and cattle rustling.

    The deceased identified as a 19 year old senior secondary school (SSS11) pupil, was shot at close range by the armed rustlers.

    A source said the boy came out to ease himself, unknown to him that the bandits were operating at about midnight.

    The cattle rustlers who were about 40 were said to have operated for about an hour shooting and stabbing villagers who tried to escape.

    One of the villagers, Isaiah Baga said that 212 cattle and a number of sheep were taken away. Seven new motorcycles were also taken away.

    He said security agents were yet to come to the village after the villagers had reported the incident to them, “we have reported the latest attack to the authority but we are are yet to hear from them”.

    This attack is said to be the 20th attack on communities in Shiroro Local Government in recent months, leaving   over 100 people killed and over 1,500 cattle and sheep stolen.

    No fewer than five farmers were feared killed in Abraka and Obiaruku communities, in Ethiope East and Ukwuani council areas in Delta State, during clashes between farmers and suspected herdsmen.

    It was learnt that farmers in the communities had been in a long-drawn faceoff with the herdsmen over incessant destruction of the farms by grazing cattle.

    According to community sources, tension increased  during the week following the clashes, which had claimed lives of four men and one woman.

    According to sources, the victims in the Abraka incident included two cousins; Akpovona Felix and Sunday Akpupu, who were indigenes of Eku community, but residents of Abraka.  Two of them were killed in their farms.

    Akpovona and Sunday’s  bodies were discovered on their farm on Wednesday after they had gone for clearing on Tuesday and failed to return home. Their bodies were recovered by community scavengers on in a bush said to be prone to herdsmen attacks.

    Akpovona, a father of five, was said to have been shot while his cousin was hacked to death and his finger cut off.

    The second incident happened in a farm around a forest reserve on the Abraka-Benin Road, a boundary area between Urhoka-Abraka and Obiaruku, claiming the lives of two men and a woman. The victims were indigenes of Obiaruku community.

    “They went to the farm last Tuesday; when they did not return, the next day, a search party was sent to look for them only to discover their bodies at separate locations by a river bank near their farm”, Progress Aganbi, who lives in the community, said.

    Police spokesman in Delta State, Andrew Aniamaka, said “I could only confirm that of Abraka, where two persons were killed. It was first reported as a case of a missing person. On the third, one Akpovena Godwin reported about his brother. They are from Eku community.

    “We found the deceased and that of Sunday Akpokpo.  Akpokpo was 40 years while Felix Akpovena was 39 years. It was a case of murder. There’s the suspicion that it might have been a reprisal attack. We are still not giving up,” he said.

  • 3 policemen killed, 2 missing in herdsmen attack in Adamawa

    Adamawa Police Command on Sunday confirmed the killing of three Mobile Policemen and the disappearance of two others in an attack by suspected herdsmen in Demsa Local Government Area of the state.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the policemen were among those drafted to secure Kwayine, Gidan Dadi and Karlahi communities after clashes that followed the killing of 47 cattle in the area.

    The command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Othman Abubakar, who confirmed the development to newsmen in Yola, said that four rifles belonging to the policemen were also missing.

    “Fulani militia attacked the three villages and we lost three of our gallant MOPOL while two are missing.

    “We have constituted a high powered search team and by the special grace of God we are going to recover our men.

    “On the side of the civilians, two bodies have so far been recovered,” Othman said.

    The spokesman said that the police had succeeded in killing scores of the militias who where however able to escape with their dead ones.

    Abubakar said more policemen had been drafted to the affected areas.

    Gov. Muhammad Bindow had condemned the attack, which occurred less than 24-hours after a government delegation on peace building mission visited the area.

    The governor in a statement signed by the Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Mallam Ahmad Sajoh, directed security agencies to deploy more personnel to the area.

    He described the attack as unfortunate and sad especially coming after recent peace and confidence building efforts.

    “The Governor feels highly disturbed that after he had sent delegations on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday to interface with the different communities in the area, a clash could occur so soon thereafter.”

    He assured residents of government’s resolve to restore peace to the affected areas and protect the lives of every citizen.

    Bindow saluted the gallantry of the police in confronting the attackers and urged them not to relent until normalcy is fully restored.(NAN)

  • Three die in herdsmen attack on Niger communities

    Three die in herdsmen attack on Niger communities

    •Senator decries continuous assault

    Three persons died and several others were injured after herdsmen attacked Kaure, Ajatan and Kwaki communities in Shiroro Local Government of Niger State on Saturday.
    The herdsmen also made away with livestock.
    This is coming barely two weeks after Baga, Alawa, Tunga-Sakai, Laye and Dnakau were attacked and four persons died.
    Meanwhile, Senator David Umaru (representing Niger East) has decried the continued attacks by men suspected to be Fulani Herdsmen.
    He called on the state government and security agencies to address the situation before it escalates.
    Addressing reporters in Minna yesterday, Umaru lamented that the attacks has claimed many lives and rendered many homeless. He reiterated the need for the government to act fast before the entire communities are wiped out.
    “The government, especially at the state level, must wake up because the security of the lives is its exclusive responsibility. A responsible government should not watch people being killed daily.
    “I have been following the development but I’m helpless because security is in the hand of the government. This development has greatly impoverished the people because their cattle and farm produce are being stolen by these herdsmen.
    “The truth of the matter is that the government needs to do something, and very fast, because the people are being killed, they are not secured and so some are beginning to relocate from their ancestral homes and farm land,” Umaru said.

  • Herdsmen warned against violence in Ogun

    National President of Meyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) Mohammed Kiruwa Zuru has warned herdsmen to desist from actions and conduct that could provoke ethnic crisis between them and farmers in Ogun State and other Southwest states.

    Zuru urged members to respect others and not engage in activities that could be injurious to the peace and harmony between them and farmers in Ogun State.

    The president gave this warning in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, on Saturday at a peace meeting between the association and the state All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) as part of measures to solve the incessant destruction of farm crops by grazing cattle.

    Fielding questions from reporters, Zuru said Nigeria needs peace and unity for real and sustainable development, lamenting that “criminals” use herdsmen as a cover to perpetrate crimes, ostensibly to create ethnic strife in the country.

    “Everybody has a role to play for peace to reign in Nigeria. We don’t want trouble with the Yoruba, we don’t want trouble in Nigeria. We should not give the enemy chance to cause trouble. I don’t want criminals to enter the crisis. Element of criminality have entered.

    AFAN State Chairman Olusegun Dasaolu warned that there could be ethnic violence if herdsmen continued to graze on farmlands unmindful of farmers’ crops.

    “The situation between his members and the cattle breeders is like sitting on a keg of gun powder, as all agreements reached had been flouted.

    “Daily, our farmers record losses as a result of cattle eating up their produce. But, when we got the assurance of the coming of the national president, we decided to calm down and await the step to be taken by the national body,” he said.

  • No land for grazing in Benue, Ortom insists

    No land for grazing in Benue, Ortom insists

    Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state on Friday said the state government would not concede any part of its land for establishment of grazing reserve for herdsmen in the state.

    Ortom made this known during the handing-over and inauguration of Daudu Shelter Project for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Guma Local Government Area of the state.

    The 100 bungalows project was initiated by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in collaboration with the state government and Benue Non-Governmental Organisation Network (BENGONET).

    Ortom, who was represented by his deputy, Mr Benson Abounu, said that 80 per cent of the people of the state were farmers which made their situation a peculiar one.

    He disclosed that the law of the Northern Nigeria that demarcated 17 places for grazing route in 1950s did not gazette any portion of land in Benue.

    According to him, in the 1950s when we had those grazing routes, we had just between 45 and 59 million people in Nigeria.

    “The 925,000 square metres of land which made up Nigeria has not increased but the population of Nigeria has increased from that about 50 million to about 200 million today.

    “Even the 925,000 square metres of land decreased because Bakassi had been ceded from Nigeria; how then can you have land that you will say Benue people should give away for grazing?

    “Like any other business, when you want to do business you go and ask for the land and buy it and when the government gives you the Certificate of Ownership, you then build on it.

    “In the same manner, since cattle breeding is a personal business of somebody, nobody has a right to force Benue state to create a grazing land.

    “Going by international best practices, any herdsman that want to come and rear cattle in Benue should come and ask for land to build a ranch,’’ he said.

    The governor also expressed the government’s readiness to continue to partner UNHCR and entire UN system in Nigeria towards actualizing the “Songhai project initiative” which had already been proposed by UNHCR.

    He added that having a source of livelihood and economic empowerment for the IDPs remained one of the surest steps to be taken not only by the government but also by the UN.

    According to him, currently, empirical information on the losses in food, human lives and property of IDPs and affected communities appears quite challenging to figure out.

    “But beyond that, the state government wishes to see the UN system assist her in building institutional data gathering and management systems for their collective vision for a new Benue.

    “Shelter remains at the core of the basic needs of man, and to lose one is really an affront on one’s dignity and self-esteem.

    “It will be impactful if the UNHCR and the UN community consider working further with Benue government towards a cost-effective model that will empower IDPs to return safely to their homes.

    “Let’s talk and collaborate on this in the days ahead to enable making necessary financial adjustments in view of the dwindling resource base of the state at the moment,’’ Ortom said.

    He commended UNHCR for its commitment to alleviating the suffering of the IDPs in the state, and urged the agency to assist the state government to replicate the project in other parts of the state.

    He said that the government had activated discussions to factor the IDPs within the social investment scheme, especially the component on cash vouchering for indigent ones.

    The governor called on the Federal Government to consider including Benue on the list of presidential and humanitarian interventions in the North-East.

    This, according to him, is in view of the relationship of the crises in Benue and that of the North-East, which are all insurgency related.

     

  • Lawmaker flays herdsmen’s attack in Abia community

    Lawmaker flays herdsmen’s attack in Abia community

    The member representing Arochukwu constituency at Abia State House of Assembly, Luke Okara Onyeani has condemned the clash between suspected Fulani herdsmen and crop farmers in which five farmers from Ndiokereke Abam in Arochukwu Local Government Area of the state sustained injuries.

    Onyeani said there is need for security agencies in the state to curb the excesses of Fulani herdsmen  while those who were involved in the attack on members of his constituency should see brought to book.

    Speaking with The Nation in Umuahia after visiting the wounded farmers, Onyeani warned that Abam people are known warriors and should not be pushed to the wall as the people could react in a way that will be unpleasant.

    He noted that the people of Abam have resolved to be peaceful and law abiding.

    He said, “Our resolve to be peaceful and law abiding should not be taken for granted, we want the herdsmen to leave our place and the entire Arochukwu Local Government Area.  We want the security agencies in the state to live up to expectation, the members of the state assembly had during one of their sittings decided that herdsmen should not be carrying fire arms and same was reached during a meeting between the police, herdsmen and indigenes which herdsmen have flouted”.

    The Abia lawmaker was visibly angry over the development, saying  that he is not happy that his people were harmed by herdsmen with dangerous weapons, stressing that these were the kind of stories people were hearing happening in Enugu and Benue states, but now it has gotten to us”.

    He said, “It is shame that people who went to their farm were attacked by gun and machete carrying Fulani herdsmen after destroying their farm land and the farm produce with their cows”.

    One of the victims who is receiving treatment in one of the hospitals in Ohafia, who gave his name as Ogbu Kelechi said that he is student of NTI and also a rice farmer which proceeds he uses to sponsor his education was attacked by the herdsmen when he complained about their cows destroying his produce.

    Kelechi said, “I went to my farm after attending lectures and saw some cows feeding on my already harvested rice and when I complained the herdsmen descended on me with the machetes saying that they will not leave me until I [was] dead”.

    “I pretended to be dead and they came and turned me around to make sure that I [was] dead but then some people who saw what was happening raised the alarm which made the youths to come to find out what was happening but by the time they arrived the herdsmen had fled”.

    One of leaders of another community, Ameke Abam, Chief Sunny Agbara said that the issue of herdsmen have ben destroying their farm land and farm produce, “We do not want any conflict with them, but there is a limit to endurance as we have endured enough”.

    Agbara said, “Anyone who attacks your farm, attacks your stomach and wants to destroy your life, we want the state Commissioner of Police Leye Oyebade who is the state chairman of Conflict Resolution Committee on herdsmen to do something as was discussed during their inaugural meeting”.

    It could be recalled that there was a clash between suspected Fulani herdsmen and the people of Ndi Okereke Abam in Ovukwu autonomous community, Arochukwu local government area of Abia State, which has left about five people badly injured and battling for their lives in an undisclosed hospital.

    The injuries they sustained was said to have arisen from bullet and machete wounds inflicted on them by the suspected Fulani herdsmen during the clash between them and the indigenes of the Arrochukwu community.

    The President General of the town union, Chief Chukwuma Egbuta Okubi, said that the incident happened last Friday when the herdsmen led their cattle into the farms destroying the crops in the farmland of his people.

    Okubi said that the matter was made more painful by the fact that the suspected Fulani herdsmen would uproot the cassava and yam for their cows to eat, including trampling on the entire farm land, thereby making it difficult for our people to harvest their farm produce.

     

  • Senate to FG: Declare security emergency in Southern Kaduna

    Senate to FG: Declare security emergency in Southern Kaduna

    The Senate on Tuesday urged the Federal Government to declare a “security emergency” in Southern Kaduna.

    The call followed a motion by Sen. Danjuma La’ah (PDP-Kaduna), who told the senate at plenary that since 2011 many communities in the senatorial district had been consistently attacked by herdsmen.

    He said that such attacks had resulted in deaths, loss of property and displacement of indigenes of the communities.

    La’ah noted that the district was substantially agrarian with large arable and fertile lands.

    “We are aware that there has been regular attack by armed herdsmen, the latest being on the 15th and 16th Oct. 2016 in Godogodo community in Jama’a Local Government Area.

    “Subsequent to the attacks, these herdsmen have virtually occupied the displaced communities and are grazing their cattle freely,” he said.

    According to him, the Kaduna State Government and the Federal Government had made efforts at restoring peace in the area but apparently, the efforts are neither adequate nor effective to prevent more attacks.

    Contributing, Sen. Shehu Sani (APC-Kaduna) said that the motion was an ample opportunity for senators to intervene in the crisis.

    “It is not that it is the first time a government will intervene, but there have been series of interventions that have not produced any result.

    “It is very clear that security agencies and the government have failed to provide security for people who live around that area.”

    He explained that “what we can do is not simply about condemning what has been happening because there has been lots of condemnation that has not produced any result.”

    “The lawmaker said that what was needful was for the senate to see the killings as “a matter of life and death.”

    “I believe the intervention of the senate will seriously help the people of Southern Kaduna to get out of the quagmire which they have found themselves,’’ he said.

    In his remark, the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, said that it was clear and very important that the increase in violent killings was of great concern and that something needed to be done.

    “We must as a society, be able to live happily and harmoniously together and anything that threatens that is a threat to the country in general.”

  • Fayose issues violent herdsmen red card

    Fayose issues violent herdsmen red card

    The new law signed by Governor Ayo Fayose to regulate grazing in Ekiti State is already raising some dust. The  enactment of the law resulted from an attack on the village of Oke Ako by suspected herdsmen. The issue is already attracting national and international attention.  ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA reports.

    Fulani herdsmen are kicking against the law enacted by the government of Ekiti State against grazing beyond the stipulated time of 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

    Before the Prohibition of Cattle and Other Ruminants Grazing Act 2016 was signed by Governor  Ayo Fayose on August 29, many communities had sordid stories to tell about the daring brutality and ruthlessness of the rampaging herdsmen.

    At a stakeholders’ meeting summoned by the former Commissioner of Police in charge of the command, Taiwo Lakanu, (currently in charge of Imo State command), in February last year, attacks by the herdsmen dominated talks.

    The attack sparked state-wide and nation-wide outrage. Many inhabitants of Oke Ako and other neighbouring communities such as Ipao, Irele, Itapaji and Iyemero who also experienced constant threat of herdsmen, fled to areas they considered safe.

    But the visit of Fayose to Oke Ako two days after the attack has changed all that. The governor vowed to clip the wings of the rampaging herdsmen.

    Fayose forwarded an executive bill to the House of Assembly for consideration and passage into law which resulted in the Prohibition of Cattle and Other Ruminants Grazing Act 2016 which has given the state government the weapon to curb the menace of the herdsmen.

    “Prohibition of Cattle and Other Ruminants Grazing in Ekiti, 2016,” which forbids grazing or movement of cows at night provides that grazing activities must be from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on a daily basis and it also prohibits the use of firearms and any weapons. Culprits shall be charged with terrorism.

    It states: “No person shall cause or permit any cattle or other ruminants belonging to him or under his control to graze on any land in which the Governor has not designated as ranches, no cattle or other ruminants shall by any means move or graze at night and that cattle movement and grazing are restricted to the hours between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m..”

    The implementation of the law has been generating ripples with majority of Nigerians hailing it while some interest groups sympathetic to the cause of the herdsmen criticised the law.

    The new law has now pitched Fayose against the umbrella body of cattle owners in Nigeria, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders’ Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) as both sides are firing verbal salvos at each other.

    What sparked the latest feud was the governor’s dramatic encounter with two herdsmen caught rearing their herd after 6:00 p.m. allowed by law to carry out their business.

    The drama occurred along Ado-Afao Road on the outskirts of the Ekiti State capital when Fayose was on his way to Ikole Ekiti on October 12 to inaugurate some projects to commemorate the second anniversary of his administration.

    The sight of the cows and the herdsmen at such an “unholy hour” infuriated Fayose who ordered his convoy to stop. Governor Fayose emerged from his car to give the herdsmen and their cows a “hot chase.”

    But the governor followed up the action with the inauguration of a security outfit to enforce the new law in all nook and cranny of the state. The security body is known as Ekiti Grazing Enforcement Marshals (EGEM).

    At EGEM’S inauguration, Fayose declared that any cow confiscated under the State Grazing Regulation Law will be slaughtered and shared to the people as part of the “Stomach Infrastructure” policy of his administration.

    Fayose further explained that the setting up of the EGEM was aimed at nipping in the bud the killing of innocent people and destruction of their means of livelihood by armed herdsmen.

    He said: ”We have a right to life, to survive and to possess things, especially peasant farmers, whose means of livelihood are taken away by cattle feeding on their crops.

    If peasant farmers are deprived of their gains, that is condemnable.

    “We will bring to permanent end the situation whereby some people take away other people’s means of livelihood.

    “Some people go as far as grazing in the night when farmers are no longer in their farms,” he said.

    While frowning at cattle rustling by some people, Fayose added that the law was in the interest of cattle breeders as well, as their operations would be streamlined.

    The governor added that the phone numbers of the marshals would be made public and warned the marshals against going beyond their mandate.

    “This is not an opportunity to harass or intimidate innocent people. You are to enforce the law and not to break it. Anybody found going beyond his bounds would be dealt with accordingly,” he said.

    In her opening remarks, the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Modupe Alade, said the law had helped in curbing incessant attacks on local farmers by herdsmen and feasting on crops by cattle.

    The Chairman, Hunters’ Association, Ikole Local Government Area, Joseph Osasona commended Fayose for the initiative.

    Osasona recalled that it was the prompt intervention of the governor in Oke Ako-Ekiti early in the year  that sent a strong signal to lawbreakers to stay away from the state.

    Apparently outraged by Fayose’s outburst, MACBAN condemned the setting up of EGEM, describing the action as “unscrupulous and targeted at our members who are bona fide citizens of our country.”

    MACBAN, in a statement by its spokesman, Baba Othman Ngelzarma, alleged that EGEM  shot five cows and carted away the meat but the herdsman was able to flee with the rest of the cattle.

    The group further said: “As far as we know, Ekiti State is not an island of its own but a state within the Federal Republic of Nigeria and while the Governor is permitted to carry out actions geared towards protecting the interest of Ekiti State, such actions should follow due process of the law.

    “We deplore this act of brigandage and call on Governor Fayose to offer unreserved apology to MACBAN, and equally set machinery in motion with a view to compensating our members who lost five cows in this primitive adventure.

    “We are hereby constrained to implore the Federal Government, through its security agencies, to wade into this unprovoked and primitive aggression against our members, before this macabre incident develops into unquenchable inferno involving our members and Ekiti State government.”

    But the Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG), viewed MACBAN’s outburst as a terror, threat and an assault on Yoruba people until an apology is tendered from the herdsmen’s body.

    In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Kunle Famoriyo, the ARG took strong exception to that comment, saying, “such open threat against the people and government that accommodated your business interest is terrorism.”

    It further accused MACBAN of deceit in its opposition to the law, noting that the group “had always exonerated its members from herdsmen’s vicious crimes, blaming it on ‘foreigners from other countries.

    “Sanity, therefore, prescribes that MACBAN should be happy with the enactment of such a law that will ensure genuine cattle breeders are not stigmatised by criminals from other countries.”

    Addressing a news conference at the Governor’s Office, Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday, October 24, Fayose accused the Federal Government of backing the herdsmen to unleash terror on communities in the country, alleging plans to repeat massacres carried out in Benue and Plateau states in Ekiti.

     

     

  • Police hold town hall meeting on herdsmen

    As part of a proactive measure to address invasion and clash of herdsmen and host communities in Abia, the divisional police in Obingwa Local Government of Abia State has met with stakeholders and herdsmen.

    Also, the state’s Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Hassan Buba, has urged communities to get the telephone numbers of herdsmen who enter their areas to graze their cattle.

    Buba spoke at a town hall meeting, which featured leaders of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders, traditional rulers, town unions and youth groups at Eastern Ngwa Police Division in Umuobiakwa.

    The union leader said the move would enable communities to check herdsmen’s invasion of farms and destruction of crops.

    He said: “We appeal for cooperation between herdsmen and their host communities. I plead with the traditional rulers of the various communities to get the telephone numbers of any herdsman, who comes into their area to graze cattle. They should forward such telephone numbers to us to check trouble makers.

    “If a herdsman refuses to cooperate and release his telephone number, the community should report any infraction to security agencies and avoid taking the laws into their hands. This will go a long to forestall clashes between herdsmen and their host communities.”

  • Miyetti Allah warns herdsmen against violence

    The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has warned its members against violence and crime.

    National President Muhammad Kiruwa gave the warning in Gusau yesterday while addressing reporters.

    Kiruwa, who noted that criminals were hiding under the association to perpetrate evil, said it is internationally recognised, particularly for its promotion of understanding and peace between farmers and herdsmen..

    “Miyetti Allah was established to unite Fulani herdsmen to work together and contribute to development of the country.

    “As a peaceful and law abiding association, Miyetti Allah always cooperates with government at all levels, security agencies, traditional leaders and stakeholders to ensure the peace, stability and development of our country.

    “It is rather unfortunate that we are misunderstood by the public due to activities of some criminals who have been using our name to perpetrate crime, but we will not tolerate such any longer.

    “I, therefore, call on our members across the country, starting from the wards up to the national level, to not relate with any criminal or involve in any criminal activity.”