The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, has urged Nigerians to be fair to their members and desist from passing rash judgements on them and other herdsmen across the country.
Speaking during the group’s zonal meeting in Enugu, on Saturday, the South East zonal chairman of MACBAN, Alhaji Gidado Sadiqu told the general public to disregard rumours making the rounds that their members were planning coordinated attacks on Enugu and Anambra states.
Sadiqu said they are pained that any sight of a Fulani sends shivers down the spines of community members, noting that all Nigerians should be encouraged to pursue any profession where they have competitive advantage.
The group which said it was scared of criminals masquerading as herdsmen to unleash terror on their host communities, noted that the herdsmen were only looking for greener pastures in the southern and middle belt regions.
MACBAN hailed the accommodation of South East Governors and urged governors of other regions to emulate their counterparts in this region.
It warned some of it’s members who were in the habit of destroying farm crops in a particular state, only to relocate to another state, to desist from the act and urged it’s leaders in different areas to report such cases to herdsmen/farmers committees set up in different states in the zone.
The group also mentioned that any member of the community that kills a cattle of a herdsman should be made responsible towards paying for that cattle and any herdsman that destroys the farm of any person should also be made to pay for the damages.
“We also advise our members to participate actively during the coming election by obtaining PVC.This will bring them close to their host to reduce suspicion and hatred. “We urge our members to be submissive to the committee’s that were constituted by the government to mitigate menace that is coming from the Fulani’s or their hosts,” said Sadiqu.
