Allegation of killings against herdsmen political, says group

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NIGERIA: THE South-West Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (SWCBAN) has described the claim of incessant killings by herdsmen as a politically motivated allegation.

The Chairman of the association, Muhammed Kabir Labar, who dissociated his members from the allegation, said on Thursday that the claim against Fulani herdsmen and farmers was a mere ploy to get rid of herdsmen and their business in the country.

Labar made this known when he led some members of the association to the 2016 Annual Business Advocacy Conference/1st General Meeting of Ogun State Business Advocacy Group (BAG) facilitated by Giz-Sedin.

He said at the event with the theme “The Economic Effects of Peaceful Co-existence Between Herdsmen and Farmers“ held in Abeokuta that the herdsmen are nomads and not terrorists as often reported.

Labar said: “This is a very good platform to show ourselves that we are peace-loving Nigerians.  We are called nomads or pastoralists ‎in Nigeria, we are not terrorists; we carry out our business peacefully and make sure that Nigeria sustains this commodity that is under agriculture which we produce for local consumption.“

“We are going to look at the allegation raised that we carry weapons around, we are all Nigerians and under the Nigerian system of government we know that carrying sophisticated weapons around is prohibited.“

“Indicting our community that we carry weapons around, I don’t believe in that; they are all political motivations, they (some Nigerians) only ‎talk about this to kill our business completely and that will not happen,” he stressed.

But, Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, had earlier while declaring the conference/meeting open, pleaded with Nigerians from Southern part of the country to treat Fulani herdsmen with respect.

According to him, the herdsmen deserved the required respect and they too should reciprocate in order to ensure peaceful co-existence to move the country forward.

Amosun, who was represented by ‎the Special Adviser on Trade and Investment, Hafsat Abiola-Costello‎, emphasised that peaceful co-existence of all citizens irrespective of tribe is the best way to move Nigeria forward.

The Governor urged the Federal Government ‎and Nigerians to come up with cogent and timely panacea against inter-tribal, inter-religious crises, including Boko Haram insurgency and herdsmen-farmers crisis that hamper the progress of the country.

He said: “The way we want our people to be treated in the North is the way we should treat Northerners in the West or East.“

The Governor cautioned the Fulani herdsmen and others from the North to also conduct themselves peacefully wherever they are in the country.

The Chairman, Ogun State BAG, Alhaji Wasiu Olaleye, while welcoming guests to the event, stated that the theme of the conference was carefully picked due to the recent emerging conflicts and confrontations between the farmers and the herdsmen, the development which had led to social-economic insecurity and perennial loss of lives and properties.

Olaleye said: “It is therefore my belief that this medium will explore dialogue and consensus building approach as a means of resolving this emerging conflict while promoting peaceful co-existence.“

Also speaking at the event, the immediate past President of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), Alhaji Tunji Labode, urged the government and fellow citizens to look beyond the proposed ‎establishment of grazing reserves for Fulani herdsmen.

He demanded compensation for the victims of Fulani herdsmen-farmers crisis across the country as palliatives and measures to forestall reprisal attacks which such victims might nurse against Fulani herdsmen.

Labode said: “There have been talks about grazing reserves for Fulani herdsmen, but nobody is talking about compensation for the bereaved families of those that were killed or affected across the country by the crisis between Fulani herdsmen and farmers.

“That should go hand-in-hand with establishment of grazing zones for herdsmen”, he said.