Miyetti Allah finally makes U-turn, backs Obiano for declaring herders with AK-47 criminals
- The MACBAN has stated its position on the herders bearing AK-47
- Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra state had on Tuesday, March 2, declared that any herder who carries AK-47 is a criminal
- The Miyetti Allah, however, said that herders with AK-47 should be made to the full wrath of the law
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Days after tagging herdsmen bearing AK-47 as criminals, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), has backed Anambra state governor, Willie Obiano's comments.
The Nation reports that Obiano had on Tuesday, March 2, at the Prof Dora Akunyili Women’s Development Center in Awka, said such persons would not be allowed into Anambra state again
Legit.ng gathered that the governor reacted after the traditional rulers had complained to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Abubakar Adamu about how herdsmen took over their farmlands carrying AK-47, while the women were being molested.
Source: Twitter
The development made Obiano order that itinerant herdsmen who carry AK-47 guns should be treated as criminals in the state after the headcount his administration was planning on them.
Reacting on Thursday, March 4, the chairman of MACBAN in the southeast, Alhaji Gidado Sidikki, denied the claim that the group had hands in the food blockade to southern Nigeria from the north
Speaking with reporters in Awka, Sidikki said Obiano’s action was in line with the already established agreement between the southeast governors and MACBAN that any herder found in possession of a gun should be treated as a criminal.
He said that the leadership of Miyetti Allah in the zone under his watch always screens any cattle herder that came into the region before he was allowed to graze.
Sidikki said:
“My members have been having a good relationship with their host communities, despite some isolated cases of misunderstanding which is normal in every human existence
“Our interest in the zone was purely economic; no herder is interested in contesting the ownership of land with members of their host communities.”
He urged the host communities not to use the order as an opportunity to kill and destroy properties of law-abiding Fulani herdsmen living in the region.
Speaking on the ban on foods items from the north to south, Sidikki said, it was the work of the Amalgamated Union of Food and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria, not Miyetti Allah
He said the union had earlier wrote a letter informing Miyetti Allah that it would embark on a protest to demonstrate the incessant killings and destruction of its member’s properties in various parts of the country.
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that in an effort to stem the rising farmers/herders crisis in Oyo state, the Kwara state governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq on Tuesday, March 2, met his counterpart, Seyi Makinde and other stakeholders on how to end the menace.
It was reported that the governor said the meeting focused on the recent security breaches involving herders and local communities in Oyo state, the influx of displaced herders into Kwara state and the attendant socio-economic and security issues.
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Wale Akinola is a passionate journalist and researcher. He works as a senior political/current affairs editor at Legit.ng. He holds both B.A and Master’s degree in Communications and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan. He also holds a Diploma Certificate in Peace Journalism. He has over 15 years of work experience in both print and online media. He derives joy in keeping the public abreast of current happenings locally and internationally through his writings.
Source: Legit.ng
