The Nigerian government and the world community have been made aware of the suffering of the average Nigerian cattle herder, whose business is failing and who could pass away at any time with no repercussions by the Coalition of Pastoralist Associations of Nigeria.
The coalition, during a global press conference in Abuja, said that the Nigerian government and other tribes are making a concerted effort to ruin the cattle-rearing industry and drive the Fulani out of sight.
The President of MACBAN, Baba Othman Ngelzarma, added that CPAN decided to also use the opportunity to alert the Nigerians and the international community of the existential dangers faced by the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria.
He stated that “The state governments formulate obnoxious laws targeted at chasing our people away. They ban open grazing without providing infrastructure for alternatives. They therefore seize our cows and arrest our people recklessly, fine them unreasonable amounts and everyone is watching as if all is well.
“The Fulani have been the target of stereotypes, ethnic cleansing and mass murder in almost all states of the Federation. From Zamfara in the North-West to Adamawa, Taraba in the North-East, Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa in the North-Central, down to Ondo and Oyo in the South-West, or worse still the South-Eastern states, the Fulani people have been a subject of hatred, annihilation for unjustifiable reasons.”
The commander of MACBAN specifically brought up the issue of Benue, where he charged Governor Samuel Ortom with establishing a Tiv militia known as the Livestock Guards with the sole purpose of apprehending, extorting, and depriving the Fulani herders of their livelihood.
He also condemned the recent murder of dozens of innocent herders in a village between the states of Nasarawa and Benue by a military jet believed to belong to the Nigerian government, adding that no official has since visited the area or offered the victims’ families any sort of support or compensation.
“Apart from the most recent bombardment of Tuesday 24th of January, 2023 in Akwanaja, there were similar airstrikes on innocent herders in Keana and Awe in Doma LGAs of Nasarawa State,” he lamented.
The Fulani chiefs asked the federal government, among other things, to fully investigate the killing of herders, punish those responsible, and make restitution to the victims.
They demanded the immediate dissolution of the Tiv Militia, which Governor Ortom reportedly formed to harass the Fulani people, as well as the restarting of talks and negotiations aimed at ensuring peaceful coexistence between herders and farmers.
Other Fulani organizations present at the press conference included the Nigerian chapter of Tabbital Pulaaku International, the Fulbe Development Association of Nigeria, the Bandiraku Fulbe Youth Development and Right Initiative, and the Farmers and Hunters Initiative for Peace and Development.
