The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria yesterday raised alarm over incessant killings of its members in some parts of Kwara State by suspected men of Vigilante Group of Nigeria. To this end, the Association gave the state government and security agencies two weeks ultimatum within which to unravel masterminds of the attacks in order to forestall likely reprisal.

The state’s chairman of the Association, Alhaji Usman Adamu, who stated this in an interview with journalists in Ilorin, said it was shocking that some natives have continued to wage war against Fulani herdsmen for inexplicable reasons. This came on the heels of a recent fracas between suspected vigilante group and some herdsmen in Gwanara, Baruten Local Government Area of the state, where some of the herdsmen were allegedly murdered in a cold blood. He warned that members of his association might be forced to retaliate if urgent action was not taken to unmask those behind the attack and bring them to justice.

He said: “Fulanis from across the country and neighbouring countries gathered here last week and they requested for my permission to go and retaliate but I insisted that they should sheath their swords. From there, they started pointing accusing fingers at me that government was paying money to me, that is why I don’t want them to retaliate despite incessant attacks on Fulanis.

“So, we want the Kwara State Government to bring the killers of Fulanis to book; if not, our people are ready to fight for their right. Then, we want this one to be the last because Fulanis of these days have changed. See what is happening in Nasarawa, Zamfara, Jos and other states. If you see what our Fulanis did in Imo, and if you are Muslims honestly, you will cry. And if somebody said it was Fulanis that did that, you will not believe it.

“The gruesome killing of our members in Gwanara by suspected Vigilante Group is latest in the sustained attack on us, and we are surprised that up till now, no one had been arrested in connection with the attack. We can’t continue to maintain silence in a situation like this where our members are being killed callously.

“We are calling on the state government to do something very urgent on the activities of vigilante groups because we don’t want what is happening in other states to happen in Kwara. “Our people have decided to go and storm Yakira town, in Baruten Local Government Area, to avenge the attack but we have been pleading with them not to seek vengeance. They have now given us two weeks to see what the state government and relevant security agencies would do over the incident to determine their next line of action.

•Sourced from Nigerian Pilot.

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