Leadership of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), South East Zone, has lamented long detention of members in Anambra State Correctional Centres without trial.

The association lamented that many of its members have been dumped inside prisons for the past five years without trial.

The lamentation was made known to Journalists in Awka, over the weekend, by the zonal Chairman of MACBAN, Alhaji Gidado Siddikki, during an interview.

According to him, the leadership of MACBAN in the zone is currently sad about the way the herders are been dehumanised and label kidnappers and armed robbers in the religion. We are here for our business, which we are all aware that it is ranching of cows in the bushes and not for the above mention activities.

So many of our people have been in prison yards for more than five years without the government looking into their case files or trying them. All this hatred is caused by some disgruntled elements living with the Igbos that did not like Fulanis in the religion. Were ever they see a Fulani man, because of the hatred, they will report him to any nearest Police Station via a weighty allegation, whether he committed the offence or not and the Police will arrest, charge him to Court, afterwards, the herder will be dumped inside the prison yards and their file kept in the Court custody without trial and that is why on behalf of MACBAN South East, I am appealing to the State government through the Ministry of Justice and the Prison authority in the state, to look into the matter, so that our people that are in the prison custody will either be executed, free or sentence according to the law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, after trial.

“The association stand on it position that any fulani herder who is caught in any criminal act in the curse of discharging his legitimate business will be deal with in accordance with the laws of the association.”

MACBAN, under my watch in South East, will continue to support the social-economic development of the region, Siddikki added. (Sunday Tribune)

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