Benue tribal leaders tackle Miyeti Allah over anti-open grazing law

The three major tribes in Benue State have given reasons to justify the enactment of an Open Grazing Prohibition Law by the state government.

The leaders of the tribes were reacting to the condemnation of the law by the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore (MAKH) recently.

The MAKH had recently described the anti-open grazing law passed by Benue State government as a time bomb, and called on the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to protect Fulani living in the state.

The group said the law was targeted at destroying the means of livelihood of herdsmen, who have grazed in the Benue valley for ages.

There are reports that the Miyeti Allah group has taken the state government to court over the enactment of the new law.

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But the Benue tribal leaders at a press conference in Makurdi on Saturday, claimed that over 500 persons were still missing or unaccounted for following attacks on some communities by suspected herdsmen.

The three major tribes namely Mdzough U Tiv, Idoma National Forum and Omi Ny’Igede, said the magnitude of the killings, destruction of property and raping of women and children perpetrated by suspected herdsmen in the state propelled the people to compel government to enact the law.

The tribal leaders led by an elder statesman and President General of Mdzough U Tiv, Chief Edward Ujege, “From 2013 to 2016, over 500 persons are still missing while over 500,000 people were displaced and the future of almost a million youths truncated”, he said.

“Over 9,000 households were affected and over 2,000 killed in various attacks carried out by herdsmen while properties worth over N95billion were destroyed in 2014 alone.

“This struggle therefore is for the emancipation of our people from slave drivers and preservation of lives and property as well as freedom from suppression which our people have suffered over the years”.

 

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