HURIWA TO MIYETTI ALLAH: You can’t shut us up

Rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has accused the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government of emboldening Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) to continue issuing threats to the group.

HURIWA made this statement in reaction to a recent threat by MACBAN.

The Civil rights group said MACBAN had unleashed continuous threats on its leadership for condemning the atrocities of armed Fulani herdsmen who have received support by some persons parading as officials of MACBAN.

MACBAN’s National Secretary, Baba Othman Ngelzarma, had on Friday night warned HURIWA to stop calling the association a terrorist group.

Ngelzarma, while insisting that it was different from Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, warned the rights group to stop ascribing the actions and comments of the latter to it.

But HURIWA declared that MACBAN could not stop it from saying the truth.

HURIWA restated its determination to continue to call on the central government and the international community to take action to stop the regime of impunity and lawlessness in Nigeria manifested by the failure of the Federal government to arrest, prosecute and punish armed Fulani herdsmen that have unleashed devastating bloodcurdling violence on communities all over Nigeria.

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This was in a statement by HURIWA’s Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko.

HURIWA recalled that its leader recently advised ethnic groups in the country to defend their rights over “terrorism unleashed on the Nigeria space by armed Fulani herdsmen and Miyetti Allah Cattle Owners Association”.

“HURIWA is determined to ensure that mass murderers are brought to justice or justice brought to mass murderers and no amount of threats from faceless callers can stop us from defending the fundamental human rights of all Nigerians including peace loving members of the Fulani ETHNIC nationality,” it said.

“We have on many occasions condemned the violence meted out on peace loving Fulani herdsmen. We know it as a fact that not all Fulani herdsmen are armed so we take exception to the false information being bandied about us by MACBAN.

“May we remind the signatory to the media statement attacking HURIWA for condemning the atrocious actions of armed Fulani herdsmen that only a year ago it was reported by a section of the media that Miyetti Allah allegedly revealed the reason why its members unleashed mayhem in some villages of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau state killing nearly 200 innocent and defenceless Nigerians.

“Where you in another Planet or did you not read in the media some months back that the Chairman of the north central chapter of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Danladi Ciroma, in a statement reportedly condemned the attacks but noted that the attacks were “retaliatory”?

HURIWA further reminded MACBAN that Ciroma allegedly said in the reported statement that no one should expect peace in the areas where about 300 cows were stolen.

HURIWA therefore, asked, “Nigerians to take note of the threats on the lives of our officials contained in the media statement calling us unprintable names when what we had insisted on is that the government must stop the climate of fear and impunity and punish persons especially armed Fulani herdsmen responsible for the violence all across the country and to declare MIYETTI ALLAH CATTLE OWNERS ASSOCIATION as a terrorist group for supporting the actions of the armed Fulani herdsmen.”

It added: “Mind you in all our statements we have always supported those positions with information that are public knowledge and we have always stated that MIYETTI ALLAH CATTLE OWNERS ASSOCIATION for not forcefully condemning the mass murders is a terrorists group and should be declared so. We have equally condemned all kinds of killings wherever they had occurred and so we wonder why some persons will attack us for asking that those who carry out attacks should be punished? Recall too that a leader of Miyetti Allah CATTLE breeder in Benue state Garus Gololo stated too that over 1000 cattles were stolen which is why the Benue killings occurred. We humbly asked MACBAN to openly condemn all attacks targeting farmers carried out by armed Fulani herdsmen and also all killings including the killings of members of the Fulani ETHNIC nationality which we had done and will continue to do”.

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