Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) comprising
Fulani cattle herders is spoiling for a show down with Governor Ayodele
Fayose of Ekiti State.
They are angry with him over the introduction of the Ekiti Grazing
Enforcement Marshals (EGEM),a vigilance group tasked with ‘arresting’ cows
found invading and damaging farms in the state.
The association branded Fayose’s action unscrupulous and targeted at “our
members who are bona fide citizens of the country.”
Baba Othman Ngelzarma, spokesman for the group in a statement yesterday
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.”
Continuing, MACBAN said: “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.
However, the group sympathized with the government of Kaduna State, and
the people of Kaduna South over the recent attack on Godogodo community
by people suspected to be Fulani herdsmen.