…..One killed, many injured
From: Linus Oota, Lafia
The massive influx of Fulani herders and thousands of their cattle into parts of Nasarawa State following the enactment of anti-open grazing law in neighboring Benue State is giving Nasarawa farmers sleepless nights.
Saturday last week, a young farmer, Moses Gagah from Akunza Maigiri, Jemkwe area of Obi Local Government Area of the state was slaughtered in his farm, while several other farmers sustained various degrees of injuries.
Speaking to herders, on Tuesday, in Awe Local Government Area during a stakeholder’s security meeting, chairman of Miyyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigerian (MACBAN), Nasarawa State chapter, Alhaji Muhammed Hussaini, condemned the violence caused by Fulani herdsmen.
The mass movement has already heightened serious security tension in Awe,Keana and Obi local governments where over 85 percent of the migrating herders from Benue State are stationed, and 75 percent of farmers there are yet to harvest their crops.
Alh Hussaini, who express worry over the activities of the Fulani herdsmen to ceaselessly wreak havocs on the produce of farmers in the area, warned the herders against taking laws into their hands and direct the security agencies to arrest and prosecute any herder found destroying farmers crops
According to him, “We are not here to cause a crisis or to accuse anyone, but to call a spade a spade and proffer sustainable solutions to the problem of nomadic cattle rearing, this issue is not just ravaging our farms, but gradually and steadily snowballing into rape, robbery and other forms of criminality”
The MACBAN chairman who set up a 35 man committee comprising of herders and farmers charge them to be alert to foreign hers coming from other states penetrating into the ranks of the cattle herdsmen in the area to cause trouble.
The leader of Fulani herders in the state who advise farmers not to burn the scraps of crops after harvest, equally sensitise the herdsmen grazing on the Nasarawa/Benue border lines on the consequence of violating the anti-open grazing law in Benue State.
He called on the federal government to collaborate with states to adopt ranching as the lawfully recognized method of rearing livestock in the country to end frequent crisis between herdsmen and farmers.
He said that the best solution to incessant clashes between herdsmen and farmers which often results to loss of lives and property is through ranching and charge both herders and farmers to always report breaches of the law to security agents.
