Othman Ngelzarma, the Secretary-General
of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, Othman
Ngelzarma on Tuesday stressed that those who attacked Benue people are killers
not herdsmen.
Ngelzarma said this while
absolving his association of the killing allegedly perpetrated by Fulani
herdsmen in Benue State.
Featuring on Channels
Television’s programme, Sunrise Daily, the MACBAN leader maintained that
herdsmen are peaceful people and not killers.
The MACBAN leader, who regretted
the unfortunate killings, however called for an end to the “senseless
killings.”
Ngelzarma explained that herdsmen
have been in the country for several years, going about their affairs
peacefully with no record of attacks.
He said, “We call them killers,
don’t call them the herdsmen. We have our share of criminals too. So all these
senseless killings must stop, either from the pastoralists or from the
communities.
“Look at the herdsmen that we are
dealing with. 10, 20, 30 years back, these were the people we were dealing with
peacefully. Why can’t we ask ourselves, what is happening now?
“In some places, they were tapped
as a civic crisis. In some other places, they were seen as a religious crisis.
It is far from religion. It is happening in Zamfara, it has happened in
Katsina, it is happening in Benue, it took place in Plateau, it is taking place
in Taraba now.
“We had a situation in Cross
River on the Christmas Eve (when) our members lost 200 to 300 cows in between
Cross River and Akwa-Ibom and we are thankful to the governor of Akwa-Ibom. We
had another situation in Enugu, so it is all over the place.
“The herdsmen who are seen as
peaceful people before this time, today because of the negative profiling and
political undertone that is attached to the crisis, everybody is seeing the
herdsman as a criminal.” Othman Ngelzarma, the Secretary-General
of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, Othman
Ngelzarma on Tuesday stressed that those who attacked Benue people are killers
not herdsmen.
Ngelzarma said this while
absolving his association of the killing allegedly perpetrated by Fulani
herdsmen in Benue State.
Featuring on Channels
Television’s programme, Sunrise Daily, the MACBAN leader maintained that
herdsmen are peaceful people and not killers.
The MACBAN leader, who regretted
the unfortunate killings, however called for an end to the “senseless
killings.”
Ngelzarma explained that herdsmen
have been in the country for several years, going about their affairs
peacefully with no record of attacks.
He said, “We call them killers,
don’t call them the herdsmen. We have our share of criminals too. So all these
senseless killings must stop, either from the pastoralists or from the
communities.
“Look at the herdsmen that we are
dealing with. 10, 20, 30 years back, these were the people we were dealing with
peacefully. Why can’t we ask ourselves, what is happening now?
“In some places, they were tapped
as a civic crisis. In some other places, they were seen as a religious crisis.
It is far from religion. It is happening in Zamfara, it has happened in
Katsina, it is happening in Benue, it took place in Plateau, it is taking place
in Taraba now.
“We had a situation in Cross
River on the Christmas Eve (when) our members lost 200 to 300 cows in between
Cross River and Akwa-Ibom and we are thankful to the governor of Akwa-Ibom. We
had another situation in Enugu, so it is all over the place.
“The herdsmen who are seen as
peaceful people before this time, today because of the negative profiling and
political undertone that is attached to the crisis, everybody is seeing the
herdsman as a criminal.”
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