Fayose and local hunters

Fulani and their cattle

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has angrily reacted to the recent attack and arrest of its members’ cows in Ekiti state by Governor Ayodele Fayose.

In a statement the group released over the weekend, Baba Othman Ngelzarma, the general secretary condemned Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state against its members who are “bonafide citizens of the country.”

Trouble started on Thursday, October 13, when, according Fayose’s spokesman, Lere Olayinka, the governor was on his way to Ikole Ekiti, when he came across herdsmen along Afao Ekiti road, grazing on someone’s farmland. Olayinka added: “The governor stopped and personally saw to it that one of the cows was ‘arrested’ by youths who chased it after the herdsmen ran into the bush upon seeing the governor’s security men. The remaining cows ran into the bush too.”

First, MACBAN was angry that Fayose, last Thursday, inaugurated a vigilante group, Ekiti Grazing Enforcement Marshals (EGEM), popularly called ‘Anti-malu’ “in furtherance of his threat to banish herdsmen from Ekiti state.”

The herdsmen continued: “Fayose unleashed the marshals against our members whose herds of cattle had gone to a stream at Agon Bridge on Federal Polytechnic road between the time of 2.00 – 2.30pm to quench their thirst on Friday October 21.”

“We have been reliably alerted an impeccable source in Ado- Ekiti that the Anti-maul vigilante group shot five cows and carted away with the meat but the herdsman was able to flee with the rest of his cattle.

“We are hereby constrained to implore the federal government through its security agencies to wade into this unprovoked and primitive aggression against our members before this macabre incident develops into unquenchable inferno involving our members and Ekiti State government.

“No cattle strayed into anybody’s farmland around that area in question. As such, the actions of the Anti-malu vigilante are not ant only provoking, but capable of creating uncontrollable scenarios whose ramification may go well beyond Ekiti state.

“As far as we know, Ekiti state is not an island of its own but a state within the federal Republic of Nigeria and while the governor is permitted to carry out actions geared towards protecting the interest of Ekiti state, such actions should follow the rule of law.

“We deplore this act of brigandage and call on Governor Ayodele Fayose to offer an unreserved apology to MACBAN, and equally set machinery in motion with a view to compensate our members who lost five cows in this primitive adventure.

“That the brutality of the Ekiti Grazing enforcement marshals (popularly known as Anti- malu) on herdsmen is even outside the time stipulated by that law (if the law exists at all).”

“The federal government should therefore look into the actions and activities of this committee because we cannot fold our hands while the only means of survival of our members is taken away and destroyed.

“MACBAN has instructed victims of this aggression and its members nationwide to exercise maximum restrain while we work towards resolving this unfortunate incident through mature and civilized manners.”

“We see this act as an upsolute brutality exhibited by the perpetrators and condemnable in all its ramifications. We call on the security to do all it could to fish out and bring these criminals to book.”