The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has claimed that over 15,000 pastoralists had lost their lives in farmer-herder crises, bandits’ attacks, and kidnapping in 10 years.
The national president of the association, Baba Othman Ngalzarma, stated this at the National Executive Council meeting held in Paiko, the headquarters of Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger State.
He said over four million cattle belonging to the pastoralists were also lost to cattle rustling across the country during the period.
He said insecurity, hoarding of produce and the high cost of transportation were the major causes of the current hardship being faced by Nigerians, adding that most of the foods consumed by Nigerians are locally produced.
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“A lot of Nigerians are being deceived to see an average pastoralist as a criminal. The pastoralists are the victims because they are at the receiving end of all these crises including kidnapping, cattle rustling, farmer/herder conflicts and banditry. Whenever you hear of banditry, you will also hear of cattle being rustled by bandits. The pastoralists, who are referred to as Fulani, are 95 per cent of the owners of cows in the country.
“So, we are at the receiving end of all these crises. We are more of victims but Nigerians are being deceived to see us as culprits. Though there are criminals among pastoralists just as there are criminals in every society of Nigeria. However, this does not mean that the entire Fulani are criminals,” he said.
He lamented that a year after the military drone strike on pastoralists in Nasarawa State, the federal government was yet to compensate the victims and their families.
He called on the authorities to come to the aid of the victims’ families.
He said pastoralists are also concerned with the security challenges facing the country, calling on all hands to be on deck to address the challenge.
