The Bauchi State branch of the Miyyeti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), has threatened to stop its members from selling and supplying cattle to the southern part of the country, if the planned eviction of Fulani herders by some governors comes into effect.
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MACBAN also threatened to sue Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, if he fails to withdraw the statement he made labelling Fulani herders as terrorists, according to Daily Trust.
Abubakar Sadiq, Bauchi chairman of MACBAN, at a press conference in Bauchi on Tuesday, told journalists that, “unless he immediately withdraws his statement, we will be left with no option other than legal means to clear the name of Fulani as an ethnic group”.
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He said the persecution being faced by Fulani herders started with Benue’s anti-open grazing law.
He explained that, “Although the law did not succeed, but it has created problems for the herders,” adding that, “People must be fair to the Fulani race; they should not be branded as criminals. Government at all levels should create a conducive atmosphere for the Fulani and others to do their legitimate businesses without molestation and castigation. We are all Nigerians and must be treated equally as such.”
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Bala Mohammed, Bauchi governor, and Ortom have been trading words over the right of herdsmen to carry AK-47 rifles.
While Mohammed said herders carried AK-47 rifles to protect themselves, Ortom challenged his Bauchi counterpart for backing an “illegal” action.