The National Secretary of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, Baba Othman Ngelzarma, has condemned the attack on Enugu communities by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

Speaking on a TV programme, Ngelzarma said the perpetrators were criminals and must not be allowed to go unpunished.

According to him, most of the herdsmen get their livelihood from rearing of cattle and they have been spreading to other parts of the country due to neglect from the National Assembly, which is exposing them to danger. The cattle breeders secretary called on the National Assembly to focus on the grazing bill as it will help curb the violence between herdsmen and indigenes.

Here are 12 cogent points he made:

1. Fulani herdsmen are also victims of the perpetrators as they are been kidnapped almost every day for ransom but these incidents were not reported.

2. Fulani herdsmen are victims and culprits at the same time. It is sad that despite being a victim, they are also seen as the culprits.

3. The clashes came as a result of the absence of grazing reserves and the protection of those reserves.

4. If the past administration had done their work, we wouldn’t be having the problem of Fulani herdsmen attack we are having today.

5. The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has succeeded in recovering quite of a number of cattle from the herdsmen.

6. Fulani herdsmen were pushed to the southern part of the country because of the search for grass and water. If grass and water were provided in the reserves, they wouldn’t have the desire to go anywhere.

7. Some people somewhere are out to profile the Fulani herdsmen as terrorists. Some want to spoil the name of Fulani herdsmen.

8. Because of the profiling, any community that sees Fulani herdsmen become jittery and the youths go to provoke them by shooting their cows.

9. The clashes began in Benue State. People were coming to ask the herdsmen for money before they could go to graze in their community and when they refused to pay, they killed their cows, which sparked violence.

10. There are criminals among the Fulani herdsmen and there is very little the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association can do about it.

11. Fulani herdsmen lost a lot of cattle as a result of cattle rustling.

12. Average Fulani herdsmen don’t carry AK-47. If you see a Fulani man with AK-47, he must be a cattle rustler.

•Sourced from TVC. Photo shows Miyetti Allah National Secretary, Baba Othman Ngelzarma.

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