Arrest Amnesty International over report on farmers/herders clashes - Miyetti Allah

- The Miyetti Allah Wallidira wants the Nigerian government to expel Amnesty International and arrest its leadership

- The herders group complain that the reports of the Amnesty International on the crises with farmers had been one-sided

- The group believes that the reports are aimed at tarnishing the entire Fulanis in the country

The Miyetti Allah Wallidira has taken the Amnesty International to the federal government asking that the global organisation’s members be arrested while the body be expelled over its report on the farmers and herders’ crises in the country.

The group made the demand in Abuja during a courtesy visit on the minister of foreign affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, according to a report by Daily Sun.

Speaking at the meeting, the organisation’s national president, Alhaji Yusuf Musa Ardo, noted that the entire report released in December 2018, by the AI concerning Nigeria was biased.

“It is not acceptable by our people, we condemn it and we believe it is inhuman and unpatriotic by the Amnesty International.

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“We are all Nigerians, we need to build this nation, we need to support the little effort of peace of different communities and the effort of this wonderful administration of President Buhari,” Ardo said.

Speaking also, the secretary-general of the Miyetti Allah, Abubakar Abba Muhammad, lamented that the 2018 report was one-sided and aimed at denigrating the entire Fulani people in Nigeria.

According to Muhammad, the report is not acceptable by any civilised society.

He noted that in their reports, the AI searchers did not interview the leadership of the Fulani people or the affected areas in their communities.

“Sir, this is highly bias, a one-sided report and it is capable of causing a crisis in the country.

“For example, the areas that all these crises affected Fulanis in Nigeria, specifically in some states like Taraba, number one, they killed about 120 women, children, and elderly persons.

“Number two, in Gembu, that is Taraba-Plateau, they have killed thousands of Fulani people there. Number three, in Numan, Adamawa state, they also killed many women and children and cut them into pieces. Number four, in Benue state, Fulani travelers were killed and burn in a motor park in broad daylight.

“The crisis in Zamfara, Kaduna, Katsina and some parts of Sokoto state where people are being killed, kidnapped daily, were not being reported by Amnesty International.

“Consequently, for the above misconduct, our organization is requesting that the Amnesty International be expelled from Nigeria and the leadership be arrested,” Muhammad said.

Onyeama commened the Miyetti Allah for its emphasis on peace and its readiness to engage without violence.

“This is absolutely what we need in our country. We all have to work together to make that peace. It is hard work all times, but it is something that is really important to do because we are one people,” Onyeama said.

“This is another report also that they have come up with. We are part of the global community and our relationship with countries around the world is governed by certain principles and practices.

“Amnesty International is a body that has international recognition and it will not be in our best interest in the long term to take a drastic measure like proscribing, expelling them or even expelling their leaders or whatever because I think the international community will certainly see that as an overreaction.

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“What we do and I think that we will also do it in respect of this report is to get and marshal our facts, point out where they have made errors and point out that it has not been balanced if they have not also got the opinion and engaged with all the parties.

“I think this is an area that we have criticised Amnesty International report in the past and that we have had a concern with the way they come up with their reports, that they are not balanced we have found very much in the past.

“So, with regards to this, I will engage with the other government agencies and we will have a response prepared to this report, identifying where we disagree and we will publicise it and send it formally to Amnesty International,” Onyeama said.

Legit.ng earlier reported that Amnesty International claimed that nearly 4,000 people have lost their lives in the crises between herdsmen and farmers in some part of the country.

The international human organisation also blamed the Nigerian federal government for not securing the lives of her citizens, noting that the duty of government is to protect the sanctity of lives.

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