Maiyetti Allah Leaders Embolden Prickly Fulani Herdsmen

The reactions of the Maiyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria to the raging killings by Fulani herdsmen across the nation have been most disgraceful and irresponsible. Just recently in Taraba State, Maiyetti Allah members came out forcefully in Jalingo to protest against a proposed bill to prohibit open rearing and grazing of livestock, demanding the stoppage of action on the plan. They even stormed the state’s House of Assembly in Jalingo with arms, threatening everybody. I still can’t understand why anyone should continue to insist that nomadic cattle rearing must continue in this 21st century. Open grazing is an aberration in any modern society and Nigeria should not be an exception. Maiyetti Allah leaders are clearly unperturbed by the rampant killings and destruction of property across the nation as a result of persistent herdsmen and farmers’ clashes. This is obvious from the opposition of the group to state governments that introduced laws curbing open grazing.

I watched the Maiyetti Allah protest in Jalingo on television and I was so depressed. The utterances of the Maiyetti Allah leaders were provocative, disheartening and preposterous. I heard some of them saying that they have a right to roam anywhere with their cattle, settle anywhere and eat anything they liked. Reading the protest speech, the Chairman, Maiyetti Allah, Taraba State Chapter, Sahabi Tukur, said the bill against open grazing was inimical, ill-intended, discriminatory and a misplaced priority, adding that the association rejected the bill in its entirety. He also threatened that there would be breakdown of law and order in Taraba if the bill is passed into law. Tukur added: “Grazing, like any other occupation, is cultural which, in the case of Nigeria and Taraba State in particular, is carried out substantially by the Fulani people. There will be no red meat, no cow in the market and all butchers will boycott market activities for seven days should the House fail to listen to our demand.”

Haba! Why must Maiyetti Allah members continue to threaten everybody? Why must they continue to insist that nomadic cattle rearing should continue in this modern era? What about the rights of the farmers? I knew quite alright that we still have a large number of stone-age people in this country, but I did not know that it was this bad. The rascality of the Maiyetti Allah members must be curbed. The intentions of the Taraba State government are genuine. Governor Darius Ishaku wanted a lasting solution to the mayhem persistently created by the herdsmen. He is not just aiming to stop open rearing and grazing of livestock, Ishaku is also planning to help the herdsmen establish ranches. This will be facilitated by a proposed agency to be known as the Taraba State Livestock and Ranches Administration and Control Agency. Yet, Maiyetti Allah members have declared war on this governor and his bill. This is in spite of the fact that herdsmen and farmers’ clashes in Taraba State had claimed no fewer than 2,000 lives in the last few years. Fighting in Mambilla area of the state between the herdsmen and the Mambila farmers raged for several days last week, with dozens of people killed.

Maiyetti Allah supporters should sheath their swords and attend the impending public hearing on the Taraba Open Grazing Prohibition bill so that they can, together with other stakeholders, clear the grey areas and brainstorm on how to make the proposed law work. I believe that areas the Executive failed to capture in the bill would be addressed in the course of the deliberations. To say that they are totally opposed to the bill limiting cattle rearing to ranches is confrontational, inhuman and an affront to other people. These rampaging herdsmen must be told in very clear language that nomadic cattle rearing is an abnormality in any modern society. Cattle must be reared in ranches. This is the standard in sane societies.

Our law enforcements agents must be very firm in enforcing anti-open grazing laws in states that have passed them. Benue and Ekiti states have done very well in this regard. All other states should do same, accompanied with a very proactive arrangement for ranching. Government at all levels must send a very strong message to herdsmen that we are no longer living in a jungle. This persistent bloodshed by these herdsmen must be cogently stopped.

On the flip side, security agents must dig into the sources of arms of these killer herdsmen. In the last two years, it is common to see them roaming with AK-47 assault rifles. Some highly-placed Nigerians must have supplied these guns. Those respon- sible must be apprehended and punished according to the laws of our land. I am glad that the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, has joined the clamour for the probe of the source of herdsmen’s arms. The Sultan added: “Real herdsmen do not carry guns. They only move with their cows and sticks. Agreed, there are bad eggs among the Fulani, but those carrying arms and perpetrating heinous killings are not herdsmen. Those carrying arms are criminals and they should be treated as such. The government should therefore probe the sources of these weapons and take appropriate action; they should face the wrath of the law.”

As at press time, some killer herdsmen were hibernating at Ileyo village, Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State. They have destroyed crops and chased farmers away from the village. The kind of weapons they are wielding is frightening. Security agents in the state have failed to protect the hapless farmers of Ileyo village. The herdsmen allegedly killed one Linus Ogbee who resisted the invasion of his farm. Because of their superior weapon, Ondo State policemen have been hesitant to intervene. Last week, the fear-struck villagers staged a protest along the Igbatoro-Akure Road. For how long must this country continue like this? For how long must herdsmen continue to shed the blood of innocent people because of their cattle? Things have just got to change.