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Crisis looms as herdsmen threaten ‘fire’ over Fayose’s grazing law

Published

8 years ago

October 23, 2016

Crisis looms as herdsmen threaten 'fire' over Fayose's grazing law

Except something urgent is done, Fulani herdsmen and the Ekiti State Government, may soon be on the war path.

This is contained in a statement issued on Saturday by the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, warning that if the Federal Government does not call the Ekiti State government to order over the activities of the state Grazing Enforcement Marshals, there could be ‘an unquenchable inferno involving its members and the state government’.

MACBAN also branded the action of the state governor, Ayodele Fayose as unscrupulous, adding that it was targeted at its members who are bona fide citizens of the country.

In the statement issued by the spokesman of the group, Baba Othman Ngelzarma, MACBAN said: “The anti-malu vigilante group shot five cows and carted away the meat but the herdsman was able to flee with the rest of his cattle.

“As far as we know, Ekiti State is not an island of its own , but a state within the Federal Republic of Nigeria and while the Governor is permitted to carry out actions geared towards protecting the interest of Ekiti State, such actions should follow the rule of law.

“We deplore this act of brigandage and call on Governor Fayose to offer an unreserved apology to MACBAN, and equally set machinery in motion with a view to compensating our members who lost five cows in this primitive adventure.

“That the brutality of the Ekiti Grazing enforcement marshals (popularly known as Anti- malu) on herdsmen is even outside the time stipulated by that law (if the law exists at all).

“The federal government should therefore look into the actions and activities of this committee because we cannot fold our hands while the only means of survival of our members is taken away and destroyed.

“We are hereby constrained to implore the federal government through its security agencies to wade into this unprovoked and primitive aggression against our members, before this macabre incident develops into unquenchable inferno involving our members and Ekiti State government.”

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