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Tag: Miyetti Allah

  • Killer herdsmen not part of us – Miyetti Allah

    Killer herdsmen not part of us – Miyetti Allah

    …condemns Benue killings

    A Fulani socio-cultural association, Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore has distanced itself from killings that occurred in Benue State.

    The association said whoever perpetrated such crime is not a member of the socio-cultural group.

    They condemned the recent attack in Benue state, leading to death of innocent people including women and children.

    The group, describing the perpetrators of the evil act as irresponsible elements said the Fulanis are peace loving people.

    In a statement issued at the weekend by the National Publicity Secretary of the association, Alhaji Yusuf Ardo, said the killings are unfortunate and condemnable to all.

    He emphasised that Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore is an association which uphold peace, love, unity and harmony in the country, adding that they have never supported violence in the society and they would never do so any time, any day and any were in the country.

    “We are peace loving people, we believed in love for one another. Any Fulani Pastoralist that doesn’t believe in peace is not part of us,” he added.

    However, the association commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his prompt action on the matter by sending the Hon. Minister of interior, Gen. Abdulrahaman Danbazau (RTD) to the area.

    The group further appealed to security agencies to arrest the perpetrators of the ugly incident and bring them to book.

    They urged individual groups and individuals going about making false allegation against the association to desist from the act.

    “It is because of our peace loving that made the association challenge the anti-grazing law in court, we believed in judiciary not violence,” It read.

    The association called on all Fulani Pastoralist living in Benue and other parts of the country to remain calm and be law abiding citizen, urging the Federal government to also look into the causes of the crisis in states like, Adamawa, Taraba, Kaduna, Zamfara, Nasarawa, Benue and Plateau states so as to have a lasting solution in those areas, particularly the issues of anti-grazing laws and others involving Fulani Pastoralist in the country.

  • Not in Miyetti Allah’s image

    Not in Miyetti Allah’s image

    •State governments have the right to make laws to protect their citizens as they deem fit

    Going by reports credited to the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hor that the anti-grazing laws being enacted by some state governments is a time-bomb, it is obvious that the herdsmen’s group has not come to grips with the fact that old things have passed away with regard to cattle rearing. And the group can only continue to hold such a view at the risk of being branded an outlaw.

    Miyetti Allah expressed this view after its meeting in the north-west zone in Kaduna. In its view, the law is an attempt to destroy herders’ means of livelihood. It wants the law reviewed urgently and indeed, called on the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to provide adequate security for herdsmen, particularly in Benue State, saying that their (herdsmen’s) lives were under threat.

    National President of the group, Alhaji Abdullahi Bello-Bodejo, and the national secretary, Alhaji Sale Alhassan, at a joint press conference held after the meeting said: “The grazing law agenda is destroying herders’ means of livelihood and we are appealing for immediate intervention to save Fulani pastoralists from total destruction of their means of livelihood by current trends from some state governors enacting segregational (sic) anti-open grazing law which target primarily the economic livelihood of the herders.”

    Indeed, what the press conference exposed was the selfish consideration of the herdsmen; they spoke as if life is all about them alone while other people do not have the right to also protect their enlightened self-interest.  Hear them again: “we are completely opposed to the anti-grazing law, and we are worried about the possible crisis that may emerge if such law as allowed to take effect.

    “It is a negative law because it attempts to expel Fulani herdsmen from their grazing areas for ages, besides, that Benue anti-grazing law, no herder was involved during the course of its preparation to get their input.”

    Another point that the herdsmen do not seem to understand is that they have nothing that could be called “their grazing areas for ages.” Those places where they have been grazing ‘for ages” belong to some other people who also have the right to protect their own sources of livelihood. Their leaders should therefore educate them on this important aspect; that where their own freedom to graze stops, others’ begins.

    All over the country there has been growing resentment against the menace of the cattle rearers who have come to see grazing anywhere in the country as their natural right and would stop at nothing to maintain the status quo, even when it is glaring that their model of rearing cattle has become anachronistic.

    Miyetti Allah will do well to be looking in the direction of ranches, which is the modern way of rearing cattle. The fact is; cattle rearers are into business and they should be ready to make the necessary investments in their operations, instead of living in the past or issuing threats to other people even in their own territories. Cattle rearers were allowed unfettered movement across the country at some time and if today, people are now enacting laws to prohibit such, they have the right to so do.

    The point has been made that in terms of the supply of protein, Nigeria’s cattle are about the least beneficial; ditto milk production. And this is due to the long distances the cattle are made to travel on foot, thereby losing calories in the process. It is not the duty of Miyetti Allah to say its members are peace-loving; other Nigerians who have been victims of their violent activities will give different testimonies. From the north to the south-east, to the south-south and the south-west, the cattle rearers have led in their trail destruction of farmlands, rape, murder and other violent activities. It will be preposterous on their part to expect state governments to fold their arms and watch people in the name of cattle rearing continue to inflict pains on others

    If there are issues the herdsmen may want to discuss with the Federal Government regarding their breed which they say is not ideal for ranching, they should do so. This is better than insisting that state governments should enact anti-grazing laws in the image of Miyetti Allah and its members.

  • Minister mischievous against Cattle tracking bill, Says Miyetti-Allah

    The National President, Miyetti-Allah Kautal Hore Fulani cultural association, Alh. Bello Bodejo has said the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh is either mischievous or ignorant of the essence of the bill for an Act to establish the National Animal Identification Bureau.

    Bodejo during a briefing, yesterday at the National headquarters of the association in Nasarawa, said the Minister should have supported it rather than condemning the bill.

    He noted that the bill when passed into law would address lingering crisis confronting the livestock sector, especially the clashes between farmers and herdsmen.

    According to him, the bureau would encourage innovations such as tracktracking cing and labelling of cattle up to the abattoirs.

    The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development recently, through Senator Abu Ibrahim, sponsored a bill that will ensure animal tracking, registration and identifications but was rejected by the Minister on the basis of dual responsibility, as a department of livestock already exist in the ministry.

    Bodejo said: “The idea of creating an agency is to ensure there is identification, tracking and management of livestock in this country. It is an internationally best practise because if that agency is in place, every Cattle you have in this country will carry a chip. So the question of someone trespassing into a farm and you don’t know him will no longer be there.

    “It will address the security problem. If you say Cattle has trespassed into a farm, arrest one and then the chip will identify the owners and if they rustle Cattle, it’s just to activate and you know where your Cattle are.

    “All abattoirs will not accept Cattle that are not tagged. The technology will address lack of accountability and this issue of unknown gunmen.”

    Reacting to claims that there is an existing department in charge of livestock and Poultry in the ministry, which caters for concerns of the pastoralists, he emphasised that the department already failed in its duties.

    Describing the situation as a deliberate sabotage, he claimed of an underlining politics stressing that most officers in charge of policies in the livestock department had background in crops production.

    “They have this bias on livestock. The Minister should see that policy as a complementary one because there are technological companies that have this innovation to tag Cattle for the identification purpose,” Bodejo added

    In his remarks, Secretary of the association, Engr. Alhassan Saleh insisted on their disapproval on the Anti-Open Grazing law.

    He said it was a deliberate action to chase the pastoralists out of Benue, stressing that both farmers and pastoralists are interested in the equal share of the natural resources.

    Saleh, who blamed the Federal Government of being partial in the share of budgetary allocation called for proper attention to the livestock industry.

    He said the industry was not getting needed attention both from local and international partners aside from government bias.

    Speaking on the livestock bureau, he said the department should be unbundled from the ministry and created as an independent body.

    “As it is today, the psychology and body language of Audu Ogbeh is not ready to bring any positive support to the pastoralists and that’s the truth.”

    National Coordinator, Miyetti-Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN), Garus Gololo accused the Benue State Government to have sidelined the association before implementing the anti-open grazing law.

    He called for an holistic approach to solving problems of both pastoralists and the farmers.

  • ‘Miyetti Allah splinter group plotting mayhem in Benue’

    ‘Miyetti Allah splinter group plotting mayhem in Benue’

    Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has alerted to plots by Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore to unleash mayhem on the state.

    Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore is a splinter group of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN).

    He said the plot had been reported to President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that the President is not opposed to request for the arrest of the leaders – Abdulahi Bello Bedejo and Saleh Al-Hassan – following his submission.

    According to Ortom, security agencies have been placed on the alert for their arrest. Ortom, who spoke at a briefing in Abuja yesterday, said the state lost N95 billion worth of goods and property in herdsmen crises.

    He reiterated that there is no going back on the anti-open grazing law, which takes off next month.

    While MACBAN supported the law, Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore leaders are against it, Ortom said.

    His words: “We passed the law with the support of all stakeholders, including Miyetti Allah, following adequate advocacy where gains of the law was explicitly explained.

    “Section 20 says those involved in cattle rustling should be adequately punished. So, cattle and livestock owners are protected. Section 19 protect farmers, stipulating stiff punishment for those engaging open grazing.

    “The law provides for provision of land for ranching, which is renewable after a year. After the interface, Miyetti’s leadership accepted the law as friendly and promised to obey it.

    “The effect of this is that both farmers and herdsmen would begin to live normal lives, in their homes, and exposed to formal education.

    “The multiplier effect of ranching will also be an added value, whereby cattle wastes, such as rice straw, soya bean straws and cow dung, will be used to process feeds and other things.

    “We are committed to implementing this law because Benue has no land for open grazing, all lands are cultivated and waiting for harvest.”

    Ortom said the state lost N95 billion worth of  goods and property to the farmer/herdmen crisis.

    He said: “This implementation of the law becomes more imperative because between 2012 and 2016, more than N95 billion worth of  goods and property were  lost to the crises arising from herdsmen attacks. Even the herdsmen were equally affected, with their cattle killed or stolen, but the law will restore all these. We don’t want to go through that road again, and that is why Abdulahi Bello Badejo and Saleh Al -Hassan of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore should be arrested for threatening to cause havoc in Benue.

    “ I called for their arrest because we have not committed any crime with the law; it went through legislative due process  and returned to us for assent. It is our state, and all stakeholders accepted that it should be enforced. If anyone is not ready for ranching, they can leave the state. We are ready and willing to provide security and other logistics for their movement, but to threaten us is unacceptable.

    “We are law-abiding, but they should be reminded that no one has a monopoly of violence. That splinter group has no right to intimidate my people. I am determined to go all the way, they have been reported to the President and we will not shy away from applying our law.”

  • Ortom seeks arrest of Miyetti Allah leaders

    Ortom seeks arrest of Miyetti Allah leaders

    •Governor: no going back on ranching

    Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has called for the arrest of the leadership of Meyetti Allah group in the state.

    The group is opposed to the Anti-Open Grazing Act expected to come in force November 1.

    Ortom, who addressed State House correspondents yesterday after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, said the leadership of Miyetti Allah posed a threat to life and property.

    He said: “I came to brief Mr. President about the security situation in my state; about the Meyetti Allah threat, even taking us to court. They threatened to make the Anti-Open Grazing Act impossible for the people. I intimated him on this and on the security situation in the state.

    “We have brought communal crisis to its barest minimum and we believe security agencies working with us will sustain the tempo. We will do everything to protect life and property.

    “I am a law-abiding citizen and a governor; Benue people are law-abiding and that is why in the midst of provocation from herdsmen, we took time to ensure that we put the law in place, sign it and we are going to begin implementation November 1; we hope the people will comply.

    “Everyone in Benue State should appreciate the fact that the law is protecting us. It is the intention of this government to protect lives and property through the rule of law.

    “One thing I must say is that the law protects herdsmen and farmers. We are against cattle rustling; those who are caught will be penalised. Those who want to stay in Benue State and do cattle business must ranch their cattle; this is what we want.

    “As far as we are concerned, the law is not targeted at any individual, group of people or ethnic group, it is meant to protect everyone living in Benue.

    “I am calling for the arrest of the leadership of Meyetti Allah to deter others. We have for long time celebrated impunity in this country, and we cannot continue like that.”

  • Miyetti Allah sues Benue for Anti-Grazing Law

    •Governor studying labour’s ultimatum 

    Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom yesterday said the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association had sued the state to protest the planned implementation of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law enacted by the government as a panacea to herders/farmers clashes.

    Ortom, in an interview with reporters at the Benue Peoples House, Makurdi, said he was not perturbed by the cattle breeders’ decision to frustrate his peace efforts. He maintained that the state will match the group in court.

    The governor said he was waiting for the courts to declare the law unlawful, saying he believes in the rule of law and would never resort to violence in addressing security challenges.

    According to him, enacting the law was part of his constitutional responsibility of protecting life and property, including those of herdsmen. He noted that the bill seeks to establish ranches, not just for cattle, but all livestock.

    On the ultimatum issued by labour unions, asking him to clear backlog of salaries or risk industrial action, Governor Ortom said he was studying the letter, and would meet with organised labour. According to him, labour had been understanding with his administration in the last two years.

    He, however, noted that the accumulated salary arrears, pensions and gratuities, were due to the high wage bill he inherited from his predecessor compounded by the shortfall in federal allocation to states.

    According to him, his administration inherited N69 billion in salaries and a monthly wage bill of about N8.2 billion, which rose to N8.5 billion with the new minimum wage for primary school teachers.

    On labour’s suggestion that he should borrow to offset the arrears, Ortom said there’s a limit to borrowing, maintaining that the state cannot borrow more than it could accommodate.

  • Southern Kaduna: Blame FG, foreign herdsmen – Miyetti Allah

    Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has accused the federal government of complicity in the activities of killer herdsmen ravaging the country.

    It said the porous nature of the nation’s borders is responsible for free entry and exit of the killer herdsmen, mostly foreigners.

    MACBAN Assistant National Secretary General, Ibrahim Abdullahi, told reporters in Kaduna: “In Nigeria, our borders are porous; people come in anytime and go out anytime they want.

    “In fact, it is a shameful thing today that we don’t even know those that are indigenous Fulani or the trans-human Fulanis.

    “We don’t know and that is why people mix things up. You begin to suspect the Fulani man that you grew up with when anything happens.  He has not traveled far. Where did he get the AK 47?”

    On the way out: he said: “It is either Nigeria opts out of the ECOWAS protocol or we should apply the conditions.

    “We should ensure that anybody coming into the country, we know when he is coming, where he is going and control what they are coming with.

    ”Now the unfortunate thing is that all the signatories to those protocols, there are conditions governing people entering into your country or going out of your country.

    “For example if you are to move from Niger to Nigeria at the border, there must be what we called control posts.

    “Benin Republic has control posts with Custom, SSS immigration and other related agencies so that you don’t come into that country with sophisticated weapons or anything that is considered contraband to that country, they check that.”

    He added: “Also you must ensure that your animals are vaccinated from all other killer diseases so that you don’t go into the country and infect their animals and so on.

    “There is also the Gambian approach, Gambia is a signatory to this protocol but anybody from any part of West Africa who wants to go into the Gambia to graze his animals, his home country must write officially to the Gambian government telling them that due to drought or dry season or any other reason we want to come into your country for grazing.

    “You will tell them the number of animals you are coming with and the route you want to come in through.

    “At the border you meet the officials and do the necessary checks and then agree that you will not come in with weapons because the Gambian security system will protect you”.

    Abdullahi went on: “Another problem we have that you people don’t know is that, these migratory Fulanis come with all forms of weapons, many at times they come in with less than 50 cattle.

    “But when going back they go with thousand cattle rustled from our own Fulanis here.  So our economy is also affected.

    “One other issue we need to know  is some of these countries that Fulanis come from in Africa have crises like Chad or Central African Republic where there is rebellion.

    “Weapons have become like pure water or bread, so people from there see it as normal to hang AK 47.

    “So it is left for the government to do the right thing, let us decide who comes in because it is our country, let us decide the terms for the persons coming.

    “Let us not because of ECOWAS protocols leave everything to fate. That is not going to help us.

    “The truth is that  when you go to your village today you will see Fulanis that have been there since.

    “Apart from the knife and the stick that they have and maybe Dane gun for hunting they don’t have AK 47.

    “The truth is that these people coming from other countries we have to control them.”

    He insisted there is need for people to understand the different types of Fulanis, pointing out” Fulanis are categorised into three.

    “One you have the settled Fulanis every part of the north you have Fulanis that are indigenous to that area.

    “Then you have the semi settled Fulanis. They move but the movement is not constant and is not very far.

    “Then you have the trans-human Fulanis. Those that are constantly on the move and they can also be categorised into two.

    “Some of them are Nigerians while some are foreigners from our neigbouring countries like Cameroun, Chad and even Niger.

    “Those Fulanis are constantly on the move and there is a law that provides for that movement.  The ECOWAS protocol on nomadic trans-human movement.”

     

  • Miyetti Allah seeks panel on Taraba crisis

    The National Chairman of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Bello Abdullahi, has called on the government to raise an independent judicial panel of enquiry to investigate the Tarraba crisis.

    Abdullahi, who addressed a news conference yesterday in Nasarawa State, was represented by the association’s National Secretary, Salleh Alhassan.

    He feared that justice will not be served by the Taraba State government-constituted panel as it had been accused of complicity in the crisis.

    His words: “We want an independent judicial commission of enquiry from the Federal Government into the Tarraba Mambilla killings.

    “The Taraba State government is party in this case; they cannot be a judge in their case. We are accusing them of organising these killings, so how can they constitute a panel and we will get justice, it is not possible.

    “There is no sign from the government, particularly the governor, showing him ready to ameliorate the suffering of victims.

    “We thank security agencies for their response. But for whoever knows the terrain and geography of the mambilla plateau, it is not where a detachment of the military can cover, it is a mountainous area.

    “Even yesterday, there were isolated killings on the mambila. So, the onus lies on the governor, as the chief security officer of the state, to respond adequately by calling his people to order, to stop the massacre of our people.”

  • Benue faults critics of anti-grazing law

    Benue faults critics of anti-grazing law

    Benue State has faulted critics of its Open Grazing Prohibition and Establishment of Ranches Law, saying they do not mean well for the state.

    It said the law was validly passed by the state House of Assembly to tackle the menace of Fulani herdsmen.

    The state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Lawrence Onoja Jnr, was reacting to an alleged threat by a Fulani socio-cultural group, the Miyetti Allah, to mobilise its members to resist the law.

    He faulted the association’s National Secretary, Saleh Alhassan, an engineer, who reportedly claimed that the Fulani herdsmen were the original inhabitants of the Benue Valley, and that a lingering crisis with the inhabitants, particularly the Tiv, was over natural resources.

    Onoja also disagreed with the Cattle Breeders’ Association president, Alhaji Abdullahi Bello, who allegedly described the Anti-Grazing Law as “wicked, obnoxious and repressive.”

    Bello had allegedly vowed to “mobilise herdsmen in the country to resist the law as it was a deliberate attempt to enslave their members.”

    Onoja said the statements were inciting and amounted to open declaration of war on Benue citizens and were capable of causing a breach public peace and order.

    “Benue State and its people are under threat. We request the Federal Government to call Miyetti Allah and its leaders to order before they plunge the country into a conflagration which will be difficult to contain,” Onoja said in a statement.

    According to him, contrary to Miyetti Allah’s claim, the law does not restrict free movement, nor does it prohibit grazing of cattle.

    He said the law only seeks to restrict the rearing and grazing of cattle to confined ranches in line international best practice for animal husbandry as well as legal provisions prohibiting animals’ loitering.

    “We challenge Miyetti Allah to bring any better or superior solution that would restore lasting peace between farmers and herdsmen to the table rather than issue threats that will compound the problem,” the commissioner added.

    Onoja said Anti-Grazing Law was enacted to prevent destruction of farms, ponds, settlements and property by open rearing and grazing of livestock, as well as incessant clashes between nomadic livestock herders and farmers.

     

  • 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.”