The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has described Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom as an unreliable leader who has not been able to hide his hatred for the Fulani people.
This is as MACBAN urged the federal government to ignore the calls by the governor for the group to be declared as a terrorist organization.
The National Secretary of MACBAN, Baba Ngelzarma who made the call added that the group is a registered organization and is committed to promoting peace in the society.
Naija News reports the MACBAN leadership stated this in reaction to the allegations by Ortom who blamed MACBAN for the insecurity in Benue and many other parts of the country.
The Governor went ahead to call on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare the group as a terrorist organization just as was recently done to bandits.
But MACBAN has now urged the President to ignore the calls from the Governor, urging Ortom to rather focus on governance, adding that the Benue Governor has only publicly displayed his hatred for the Fulani people.
Instead of “chasing phantom shadows,” MACBAN urged Ortom to “concentrate on delivering the dividends of democracy to the good people of Benue.”
“We are not at all surprised at the recent call by Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue State for the proscription of our association (MACBAN) going by his antecedents, whose stock in trade is fanning the embers of hatred between peaceful Nigerians that have been living in peace for many centuries,” Ngelzarma said in a statement.
“We, therefore, call on the federal government to ignore this unpatriotic call by a wayward governor who is hell-bent on putting this country into unnecessary crisis.
“MACBAN is not and will never be a terrorist organization.
“We are fully registered with the regulatory agencies with clear vision and mission to foster peaceful coexistence to our teeming members as well as serving humanity positively.”
This article was originally published on Naija News