The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) has told the federal government to make compensation in the form of social support programmes available to its members for the loses incurred as a result of banditry and other challenges.
The group noted that herdsmen have lost thousands of cattle to such criminal activities across the country and it would be right for the government to make palliative packages available to them due to the losses.
This was part of the content of a communique issued at the end of its one-day national executive meeting in Abuja.
According to the communique jointly signed by the MACBAN President, Muhammad Kiruwa and National Secretary, Baba Othman Ngelzarma, over five million cattle have been lost to banditry, cattle rustling, kidnapping and climate change, and therefore they want the government to make palliative available to them to cushion the effect.
The meeting which had present the 36 state chairmen of the federation and FCT condemned the general tag of describing all herdsmen as criminals involved in banditry and kidnapping.
“It also calls on the Federal Government to introduce social support programmes to alleviate the huge losses of livestock; over five million cattle have been lost as a result of banditry, cattle rustling, kidnapping and climate change.
“The meeting calls on the Federal Government to carry out sensitization and re-orientation programmes for pastoralists and revamp the nomadic education programme for their children. It also calls on the Federal Government to deal decisively with our porous borders that makes it possible for the massive proliferation of arms and impose the implementation of ECOWAS transhumance certificate protocol to check influx of herdsmen from neighbouring countries,” the communique read in part.
The group promised that its members will cooperate with the government and all stakeholders to ensure the fight against banditry and kidnapping across the country is successful.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson of Yoruba activist, Sunday Adeyemo popularly known as Sunday Igboho, Dapo Salami, on Tuesday, noted that the Commissioner for Information in Ogun State, Waheed Odusile, who claimed that his principal was not invited by the state government lacked the right information.
Salami further stated that Igboho would not honour any invitation without an official backing.
Recall that the state Governor, Dapo Abiodun, in a statement released through Odusile had denied inviting Igboho to help solve security issues.
Salami while speaking with newsmen in Ibadan on Tuesday said nobody was killed during Igboho’s visit to Ogun State on Monday.
The spokesperson of the Yoruba activist, described the reports as lies from some mischievous elements working against the interest of Yoruba nation.