- Miyetti Allah leader has blamed the anti-open grazing bill in Benue for the killings in the state
- The herders' leader said the enforcement of the bill led to the violence between farmers and herders in the state
The leader of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria in the south east, Alhayi Idris Gidado, has blamed the killings in the state on the enforcement of the anti-open grazing law by Governor Samuel Ortom.
Gidado said if the Benue state had consulted him before drafting the anti-open grazing bill, he would have advised the governor against it as the bill only succeeded in creating crisis between herdser and farmers, Vanguard reports.
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He said: “If I was consulted on the bill, I would have told the government that the approach is wrong. What they said is banning cattle grazing and establishment of cattle ranches in Benue State and not what government has done.
“Both the farmers and the cattle leaders are suffering from the violent crisis in Benue state. The government as a matter of urgency should come out with a blue print that will put an end to the killings. The crisis can be resolved through dialogue.
“Fulani herdsmen are seen as the killers in Benue because they are the people who were offended by that obnoxious bill. Thousands of cattles have been confiscated by the government while hundreds of Fulanis have been killed in the crisis.
“The Fulanis have no capacity to do what they are being accused of. If they have the capacity, they should have stopped the people who confiscated their cattle and those that killed their brothers.”
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NAIJ.com earlier reported that the governor of Benue, Samuel Ortom, on Thursday, May 3, appeared before the members of the state House of Assembly to brief the lawmakers on the on-going attacks on rural communities saying 18 local governments have so far been affected.
The governor, whose appearance was in obedience to a summon issued on Tuesday, May 1, told the lawmakers that 18 local government areas were hit by the incessant attacks that had claimed several lives and displaced close to a million.
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Source: Naija.ng
