Group Celebrates 1 Year Of Zero Herdsmen/Farmers’ Casualty In Anambra

Members of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in Anambra State said that this year’s Christmas season marks for them one year that they have not recorded any casualty from clashes between them and farmers in the state.

The deputy national director of MACBAN, Alhaji Gidado Siddiki, and, another member of the association, Alhaji Bashir Mohammed Modibo in separate interviews with LEADERSHIP said they were recording an increased cattle sales this Christmas season due to the level of peace and harmonious co-existence between their members, farmers and their host communities across the state in the last one year.

The MACBAN leader said for instance that by this period last year, they had lost one person with about 40 of their cows killed in some communities including Ukwulu, Nimo and Umueri, adding, however, that the skirmishes occurred due to lack of proper communication and sensitisation.

Siddiki, said that while the chairman of Dunukofia local government area later paid N2 million as compensation for two cow, his Njikoka local government area counterpart pledged to also pay compensation to them, stating, however, that it was only the chairman of Ayamelum local government area that had not made any pledge to pay any compensation.

He, specially eulogised the state governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, and, security agencies in the state for the prevailing peace and harmonious co-existence existing between herdsmen and host communities, especially farmers across the state.

The MACBAN leader also clarified that there was never a time herdsmen were deliberately targeted to be attacked by villagers or farmers saying that the skirmishes occurred sometimes due to the fault of herders who allowed their cattle to destroy farm crop, adding that in some other cases criminal elements infiltrated communities deliberately to rustle cattle.

“In Anambra state today, we thank the governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo in terms of the security we are celebrating since the past one year. We are thanking all the security agencies for the zero casualties we have recorded in the past one year”, the MACBAN leader said.