‘Over 1 million’ cattle lost to Boko Haram, rustlers in North-east, Group claims

Nigerian Fulani herdsmen pressure group, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, says its members have lost over one million cattle and other livestock to Boko Haram insurgents and rustlers in the North-east.

The North-east Vice Chairman of the association, Mafindi Danburam, said this on Thursday in Yola in an interview with journalists.

Mr. Damburam said while most of the union’s members in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe lost their livestock to Boko Haram, the losses were to rustlers in Bauchi, Gombe and Taraba states.

He appealed to government to consider the affected herdsmen in its resettlement and rehabilitation programmes for the North-east.

He said the typical herdsman knew no other business than rearing and needed to be assisted over their losses.

“A typical herdsman knows no other business than rearing his cattle and such person who is now rendered redundant and idle needs to be supported to pick up his life before he joins bad company and becomes a problem.

“Government needs to consider affected herdsmen under its rehabilitation programme for North-east, particularly the much- talked about North-East Development Commission,” Mr. Danburam said.

The vice chairman, who was in Adamawa over the latest farmers/herdsmen clashes, sued for peace and the need to embrace dialogue.

“In some of those states, particularly Taraba, the problem is mostly not between us and farmers but between us and rustlers,” Mr. Damburam claimed.

Herdsmen wait for us go to bed before ‘unleashing’ cattle on our farmlands – Kebbi Farmers

Farmers in Zagga district of Bagudo Local Government Area in Kebbi State have decried the persistent destruction of their farm produce by cattle breeders.

Alh Gazali Abubakar, the District Chairman of the All Farmers Association (AFAN) in the area, disclosed this on Friday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Zagga village.

He lamented the instances of cattle breeders engaged in midnight grazing on their farmlands, adding that ”they sent their cattle to graze over our farmlands when we went to bed.

He said that many farmers in the area had lost significant quantity of farmland and produce, stressing that this has discouraged some AFAN members from partaking in agriculture.

Alhaji Mainasara Zagga, the District Head of Zagga, confirmed the incidences to NAN, saying that the matter has been reported to the police.

He called on the State Government to revive cattle routes with a view to safeguarding the farmers as well as preventing unnecessary clash between the farmers and the cattle breeders.

He also called on the affected farmers to exercise patience and caution as government is working towards handling the matter urgently.

Some of the affected farmers, Bello Umar and Aliyu Zagga, told NAN that they lost farm produce worth hundred of thousands of Naira as a result of the overnight grazing on their farmlands.

According to them, several complaint letters were submitted to authourities concerned but no action was taken to address the matter.

NAN reports that the farming communities in Kebbi have been enjoying relative peace with cattle breeders due to stringent measures put in place by them.

Jigawa board sells encroaching cattle to compensate 28 farmers.

The Jigawa state Farmers and Herdsmen Board says it has paid N860,000 as compensation to 28 farmers whose crops were destroyed by encroaching cattle in Kirikasamma Local Government Area of the state.

The Executive Secretary of the board, Rabi’u Miko, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday
in Dutse.

Mr. Miko said 19 farmers received N360,000 as compensation in Marma village while nine farmers in Iwo and Madaci villages received N500,000.

NAN recalled that the board had in November impounded 18 cattle for encroaching and destroying several farmlands in Iwo, Marma and Madaci villages in Kirikasamma.

According to him, the animals were sold at the cost of N1.16 million at Gumel Livestock and Breeding Centre, in Gumel Local Government Area of the state.

According to him, the money used to compensate the affected farmers based on an order given by the mobile court set up by the state government to handle such cases.

He added that the action was one of the new measures taken by the board to discourage farm encroachment by herdsmen.

“Henceforth, any animal found encroaching farmland and destroying farm produce in the state will be impounded and be kept under our custody.

“If the owner comes then we have our mobile court; but if nobody claims ownership of the impounded cattle, then we sell them and compensate the affected farmers,” he said.

According to him, the board has dispatched a team to the scene to assess the extent of damage done by the animals to farm land in the local government.

He added that the animals were sold in the presence of the local government’s farmers/herdsmen committee and village heads of the affected community among others.

Now that the Senate has thrown out the Grazing Bill, what next? – Adeeko Ademola

The Senate yesterday stepped down three bills on the controversial issue of grazing in the country.

They are: “A Bill for an Act to Provide for the Establishment of Grazing Areas Management Agency and Other Related Matters 2016”, sponsored by Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso (APC, Kano Central); “A Bill for an Act to Provide for the Establishment of National Ranches Commission for the Regulation, Management, Preservation and Control of Ranches and Connected Purposes 2016”, sponsored by Senator Barnabas Gemade (APC, Benue North-East); and “A Bill for an Act to Control the Keeping and Movement of Cattle in Nigeria and Other Related Matters 2016”, sponsored by Senator Chukwuka Utazi (PDP, Enugu North).

The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, said the Senate lacked the constitutional authority to legislate on the issues.

In as much as I would have loved that we find a lasting solution to the issue of animal grazing in Nigeria in the national assembly, I’m also of the opinion that the state governors do have a huge part to play in resolving the crisis that follows destruction of farmlands by Fulani herdsmen and their livestock.

As I have always opined that the Grazing Bill is dead on arrival basically because it does not address the fundamental questions raised by the victims of the herdsmen versus farmers carnage.

The Grazing Bill seeks to allocate portions of lands all over the federation to herdsmen for grazing. Any critical thinking person should know that this move will but only further the escalation of the feud between herdsmen and host communities. Using constitutional powers to allocate lands to nomads in host communities cannot count as a just method to solving the crisis.

Creating a grazing route in 36 states of the federation is like favoring settlers with the ownership rights to lands over the indigents of a particular area and considering how deeply divided the Nigerian people are along tribal and ethnic lines, the bill simply seeks to institutionalize the existing tension between herdsmen and farmer which in turn tends to be more dangerous than what we presently witness.

For instance, allocating grazing lands to a Fulani man in a Yoruba land like Ekiti is not a move that will sit well with the original indigents unless of course it is a business transaction of which in this case, is not.

Apart from the land-grabbing outlook of the allocation of lands for grazing, we are simply seeking to elaborate an already over-bloated government. In a time of recession, when the government is expected to reduce the size of it’s operations in order to save cost, we are looking to pass a bill that seeks to establish a Grazing Route Agency which intends to have a secretariat in all 36 state of the federation and thereby incurring running costs in operation and staff remuneration.

In a corruption-ridden country like ours, we cannot afford to use tax-payers money to create avenues for corrupt practices. As the struggle to cleanse ministries, parastatals and agencies of corruption, it’s not advisable to encourage corrupt practices by creating unneeded and inconsequential government agencies.

What To Do:

It is a laudable move for the government to put into consideration the plight of the herdsmen but that should not come at the detriment of people with other sources of livelihood. Therefore, the Grazing method of animal husbandry should be replaced with immediate effect by Ranching.

Ranching is the practice of raising herds of animals on large tracts of land. A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat, diary, skin or wool.

One of the major reasons why Ranching should be adopted over Nomadic Grazing is the elimination of the movement of animals from one part of the country to another thereby infringing on the rights of other citizens. Apart from averting crisis, research has also shown that animals that are ranched tend to be healthier than those that are being moved around.

In furtherance, ranching is a good source of revenue generation for state governments. Providing ranches in the 19 Northern States of Nigeria will go a long way in ensuring that cattle owners do not have to leave the state in search of vegetation for their animals thereby helping the government to keep tabs on revenue opportunities. For instance, if there are ranches in a state like Sokoto, the Sokoto Government can lease out such ranches to willing herders in exchange for money. Proper sensitization of herdsmen by the government can be carried out to give better understanding about the benefits that come with ranching.

SECURITY: Herdsmen over time, have always had dangerous encounters with cattle rustlers. Cattle rustling is the act of stealing cattle, which is made easy because of the nomadic nature of Fulani Herdsmen. Despite bitter encounters, the government have not been able to find a solution to cattle rustling and that is basically because it is almost impossible to provide security for an entity which happens to be on the move constantly. Animals that are ranched up in one location can be adequately provided with necessary security. The risk of being attacked and robbed in open fields will be greatly minimized because animals can be efficiently tracked and appropriately secured.

HEALTHCARE: As part of the benefits herdsmen will enjoy, ranches also enable animals to be tracked and properly given the needed medical attention. Government can set up veterinary facilities to ensure quality of animal production. This feature will be impossible if animals are being moved from one place to another in a nomadic method. In ranches, when animals need medical attention, all the farmer needs to do is to contact the closest veterinary facility to get help and because the veterinary personnel readily knows the location of the animals, response is swift and precise. Also, laboratories for animal medical researches can be set up to have a proper study of livestock in terms of behavioral patterns in comparison to weather, nutrition, climate and so many other factors. Such researches help in projections and provisions of certain inventions that may yet be beneficial to both farmers, animals and consumers of animal products such as leather, beef, dairy and other by products.

If government can generate funds from herdsmen by providing them with ranches, the outcome benefits of such collaboration is not quantifiable. From security, to healthcare, to improvement in livestock production, the benefits trump whatever benefits derived from the nomadic method of animal husbandry.

Since the Senate has stepped down the Grazing Bill and made it known publicly that finding a lasting solution to the issue of grazing is the sole responsibilities of State Governors, it is time the governors especially northern governors came together in a forum with sole purpose of mapping out plans to ensure the clashes between herdsmen and farmers come to a perpetual halt.

I have, in this piece made their job 50% easier. All the need to do is; do a little more research, fine-tune it and then implement.

Butchers’ Association Urges FG To Allow Cattle Free Access Into Nigeria

The Nigerian Butchers Association on Monday asked the Federal Government to allow cattle free access into the country, to allow for bountiful availability of meat and meat products in Nigerian markets.

Alhaji Asimiyu Tela, Chairman, Ondo State Chapter of the association, said this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Akure.

Tela called on the Federal Government to collaborate with the association to find new ways for cattle to come into the country without any hitches, to enable the butchers to be able to meet the daily needs of their customers.
“If the Federal Government can ensure that cattle are able to come into the country in abundance, as was being done in the past, that will help butchers in the country to be able to satisfy the needs of their customers.

“The cows we have in Nigeria as at now are not enough to meet the demands of our customers and thereby, there are not enough of meat and meat products to meet local consumption,’’ he said.

Tela said that the association adhered strictly to the prescribed sanitary conditions for the handling of cow meat, stressing that erring members who violated such rules were usually sanctioned.

“The executives of our association take compliance with sanitary rules with all seriousness and members found culpable were usually handed over to the law enforcement agencies.

“There are also some punitive measures attached to going against the sanitary rules,’’ he said.

According to him, Veterinary Doctors on daily basis carry out tests on every cow before being slaughtered for sale and consumption by the public.

Tela assured that members of the association would contribute their quota to ensure that peaceful elections were held nationwide, to enable democracy thrive in the country.

He urged the government to revive all moribund industries and firms, adding that, “if the youths are meaningfully engaged, there would be peace and order in the land’’.

Credit: NAN

Cattle dealers threaten nationwide strike.

The Amalgamated Union of National Cattle and Foodstuff Dealers Association of Nigeria has threatened to embark on indefinite strike over alleged extortion by security agents across the country.

Hamman-Jalo Hamman-Jam, acting national chairman of the association, told NAN in Mubi, Adamawa state, on Thursday, that the union was tired of the situation.

Hamman-Jam said members of the union were made to part with money at various security check points on major federal highways especially from the northern to eastern part of the country.

He claimed that security agents forcefully stop any truck conveying cattle from the north to the east and demand huge amount of money for unknown purposes.

“We have complained to appropriate authorities concerned over the high level of extortion of money from our members by security agents,” he said.

“Again, we, the Amalgamated Union of National Cattle and Foodstuff Dealers Association of Nigeria, hereby, call on the federal, state governments, and other authorities concerned to urgently look into the matter and address it.

“And if the situation continues without any action from government, the union have no other choice rather to embark on indefinite strike.”

He claimed that the dealers were made to part with between N250,000 to N300,000 per truck on every trip, revealing that who tried to resist payment of the illegal charges were often maltreated.

Agatu People Triggered Crisis By Killing 10,000 Of Our Cattle- Fulani Community Leader

The Fulani community in Benue State, accused of killing hundreds in Agatu in Benue State, said Thursday that the crisis started after 10,000 of cattle belonging to its members were killed by Agatu natives.

Ado Boderi, who spoke on behalf of the Fulani community on Thursday, during a meeting between Agatu community, Fulani community and Police Inspector General Solomon Arase, said criminal elements from both sides escalated the crisis despite the quick intervention of the governor.

He said that Fulani herdsmen were a peace-loving people, whose main concern was the problem of cattle rustling.

Akpa Iduh, who spoke on behalf of the Agatu people, decried the continued unprovoked attacks on his people by “Fulani mercenaries”.

Mr. Iduh, who said that the crisis started over five decades ago, lamented that it had recently turned into a war because of the types of weapons the herdsmen were using against them.

He alleged that the “Fulani mercenaries” were killing both children and pregnant women on sight, adding that they were powerless after embracing the Benue Amnesty Programme and surrendered illegal arms to government.

“The herdsmen are bent on turning our land into their grazing area, thereby rendering us homeless and without food.

“Is it because we are minority and poor that they are using their numerical advantage and wealth against us?

“We are going to remain in Agatu until the day they have succeeded in killing all of us.”

The Inspector- General of Police, Solomon Arase, said in Makurdi that the force had deployed enough policemen to end the clashes between Agatu farmers and herdsmen in Benue.

Credit: PremuimTimes

Agatu Massacre: Nigeria Deploys Troops; To Ban Cattle From Villages, Cities

The Nigerian government says it is preparing a legislation to prohibit pastoralists from allowing their cattle roam in villages and cities, following the massacre of hundreds in a farming community in Benue State by armed herdsmen.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, said Thursday that the government was working on measures to stop the invasion of communities by herdsmen.

Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, Mr. Ogbeh said that invasion and massacre of the indigenes by herdsmen was no longer acceptable to the government.

He said that a formation of the Nigerian Army had been deployed to the communities to restore peace.

“Yesterday, I spoke with the Ministers of Defence and Interior and they assured me that they have deployed a military formation in Enugu to move in and restore peace in Agatu.

“Today, I will also be speaking with Mr President about this issue to ensure that the problem is solved once and for all,” he said.

The minister gave assurance that government was taking lasting steps to prevent cattle from grazing into peoples’ communities and farmlands.

Credit: PremiumTimes