From: Linus Oota, Lafia
Chairman, Nasarawa State chapter of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBA), a socio-cultural group of Fulani herdsmen, Alhaji Mohammed Hussaini, has explained that no state should be blamed for adopting the cattle ranching system of rearing cattle.
Hussaini said that the association fully supports the step already taken by some states to established ranches and grazing law in their respective states as a solution to the incessant clashes between Fulani cattle rearers and local farmers
The Mitteyi Allah leader stated this, on Thursday, in Keana Local Government Area of Nasarawa State during an emergency security stakeholders and sensitisation meeting.
The meeting was attended by Fulani settlers, the chairman of the local government, farmers and other security agencies in the border lines between Benue and Nasarawa states on how to obey the anti-grazing law passed by the Benue State Government.
Hussaini also said that the Federal Government should be blamed for introducing the idea of ranching system without funding and supporting states to implement it.
He said that cattle ranching involve huge sums of money that states alone could not handle the issue, but he added that the advantage in ranching far outweighed that of the traditional way of rearing cattle.
According to him, “Benue State should not be blamed for coming up with the anti-grazing law because the ranching system was the idea of the Federal Government to introduce modern system of rearing cattle. So, any state that wants it should be supported by the Federal Government because such a state may not have the financial muscles to implement it”
The Miyetti Allah chairman, however, set up a 35-member committee comprising of Fulani herdsmen and farmers leaving along the Nasarawa border lines to ensure peace.
He charged them to arrest any Fulani involved in taking hard drugs, rape, encroaching on farmers’ lands, among other criminal acts perpetuated by the herdsmen against farmers.
He also enlightened the herdsmen, living in the border lines, on the provision of the Benue State anti-grazing law and warned them not to violate the law as offenders risk five years in imprisonment and or pay a fine of one million naira.
Alhaji Hussaini, however, called on Nasarawa State Government to strengthen control of the border lines by providing security to safeguard those areas against any break down of law and order.