Miyetti Allah Cattle
Breeders Association of Nigerian (MACBAN) on Saturday said its attention has
been drawn to the “unscrupulous action of Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti
State against our members who are bona fide citizens of the country.”
A statement by its spokesman, Baba Othman Ngelzarma, recalled
that Fayose on Thursday inaugurated a
vigilante group, Ekiti Grazing Enforcement Marshals (EGEM),
popularly called ‘Anti-malu’ “in furtherance of his threat to banish our
members from Ekiti State”.
It said Fayose
unleashed the marshals “against our members whose herds of cattle had gone to a
stream at Agon Bridge on Federal Polytechnic road between the time of 2:00 –
2:30 PM to quench their thirst on Friday 21st October 2016”.
Continuing, the
statement sent to DAILY POST reads:
“We have been reliably alerted an impeccable source in Ado- Ekiti that the
Anti-maul vigilante group shot five cows and carted away with the meat but the
herdsman was able to flee with the rest of his cattle.
“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.
“No Cattle strayed
into anybody’s farmland around that area in question. As such, the actions of
the Anti-malu vigilante are not ant only provoking, but capable of creating
uncontrollable scenarios whose ramification may go well beyond Ekiti State.
“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 Ayodele Fayose to offer an unreserved
apology to MACBAN, and equally set machinery in motion with a view to
compensate 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 overnment
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.
“MACBAN has instructed
victims of this aggression and its members nationwide to exercise maximum
restrain while we work towards resolving this unfortunate incident through
mature and civilized manners.
MACBAN further
sympathized with the government of Kaduna State, Sokapu and entire Kaduna South
inhabitants over the recent incident that had claimed so many lives as a result
of a discord between our members and communities surrounding Godogodo environ.
“We see this act as an
upsolute brutality exhibited by the perpetrators and condemnable in all its
ramifications. We call on the security to do all it could to fish out and bring
these criminals to book.”
Meanwhile, The Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders
Association, Sokoto State Chapter, Alhaji Muhammadu Magaji, has warned its
members not to graze their livestock on
farm lands.
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