Don’t Push Herdsmen Into Bloodletting In Igboland – Miyetti Allah

By Olisemeka Obeche

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders
Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has warned farmers and youths in local
communities across the south east against attacks and killing of Fulani
herdsmen and their cows.   

The chairman of MACBAN in Anambra,
Alhaji Sadiq Gidado who fired the warning shot in an exclusive interview
with the Orient Weekend while reacting to the recent farmers/herders’
crisis in Anambra West local government area of Anambra state, stressed
that its members would not withstand further unprovoked killings in
their line of duty.

“The Fulanis are not people you can push to
the wall. I know how I am managing these herdsmen and I pray that the
kind of killings that is taking place in other parts of the country will
not happen in South East. They should stop confronting and killing
these Fulanis without reason. There is a level it would reach and I may
not be able to control them anymore.

This paper earlier reported
that tension rose last weekend in Mmiata Anam community following
speculations that heavily armed herdsmen arrived the area to carry out
reprisal attacks following a recent clash involving farmers and herders.
 

But Gidado traced the latest conflict to the killing of four
herdsmen in the area between since the beginning of the year without
tangible evidence of destruction of crops. “The genesis of this current
clash was that on January 2, 2019, two Fulani herdsmen were killed at
Mmiata Anam and nobody knows what really led to that, except that it was
alleged that somebody was wounded inside a farm in the area and youths
in the area mobilised themselves and went on rampage.

“Three
people were arrested in respect of that matter and we thought everything
was under control. But again, on February 22, the traditional ruler of
the community called me and informed me that a farmer was killed in the
area and they were suspecting Fulani herdsmen for the crime. And I
quickly assured him that if Fulani people were behind it, I would get
them arrested to face justice. But residents of the area mobilised
themselves and killed two Fulani. Up till now, the corpse of the two
Fulani are nowhere to be found.

The MACABAN leader further
disclosed that the recent land tussle between the Igbo-speaking and
Igala-speaking communities in the area was also fuelling the crisis.
“Actually, it’s not only Fulani herdsmen and farmers clashes that we are
witnessing in Anambra West. There is equally the land dispute between
the Igbo-speaking and Igala-speaking communities in the area which is
creating a sort of confusion.

According to him, there was usually
no proper investigation to ascertain whether it was a Fulani man or
Igala that wounded the farmer and what they did was that they went and
killed Fulani people. “To me, that was wrong because if Fulani are
fighting, you can never kill them like that. The truth is that I know
the way I control my people, especially those operating in Anambra West,
to ensure that there is peace. I try to tell them to avoid getting into
trouble and even when some people are trying to confront them, they
should just leave the area and that’s what they are doing.

Gidado
disclosed that MACABAN was working in synergy with the security
operatives, the indigenes and the state government through the Cattle
Menace Control Committee and that those whose farms were damaged by
cattle should channel their complaints through the body rather than
resorting to violent attacks on its members. “To ensure that they
operate peacefully, I ordered that nobody should carry weapons. If they
were armed, they would not be easily killed like that. And that is
because we have a properly constituted peace committee in Anambra West
and another committee in Awka that investigates and addresses issues
relating to farmers/herdsmen conflicts.

“So far, none of the
committees has received reports from these communities that their farms
or crops were destroyed by Fulani herdsmen. But, even if farms were
destroyed, I believe we have to follow it legally and not through
bloodshed. So, I condemn this act and I want to use this opportunity to
appeal to the people of these communities to approach this matter
legally.

Meanwhile, efforts to get the official response of the
Anambra state police command on the matter was not successful as
messages sent to the state public relations officer, Haruna Mohammed,
were not replied as at press time.

Source:- Orientaldailynews