The Sultan of Sokoto and president-general of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, yesterday gave the leadership of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) two months to identify and apprehend herdsmen behind the killings in the country.

Specifically, he charged the association to find out whether Fulani herdsmen are responsible for the killings or some bandits are disguising as herdsmen to perpetrate the act. Speaking in his palace during the formal swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected executives of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, the Sultan decried the unwarranted labelling of Fulanis as the killer herdsmen behind massacre in Nigeria.

He insisted that Fulanis are not purveyors of trouble but apostles of peaceful coexistence, just as he warned that generalising a whole race to be bad is a grievous injustice on the people. He said, “To you the newly elected leadership of MACBAN, I want to remind you that your task is a very challenging one. Don’t forget that Fulanis are also being killed in Nigeria and no media attention is given to it.

“However, we are giving you two months to go round the entire country and find out why Fulanis are accused of being behind the killings. Go and find out who are those Fulanis doing the killings. Also find out if it is other people that are doing the killings and are accusing the Fulanis. Please, we want to get the truth from you within two months.”

The Sultan urged the Miyetti Allah leadership never to be ashamed of being called Fulanis because they are simply herders and not troublemakers. He said, “We are not ashamed to be called Fulanis because Fulanis are not trouble makers. Despite the fact that any wrong doing in Nigeria now is erroneously said to be caused by Fulanis.

“We however want people to know that though there might be bad ones amongst the Fulanis, just like there are in every race; that is not enough justification to generalise that all Fulanis are bad.”

Insisting that there are herders who are not Fulanis, the Sultan said a typical Fulani man caters for his cattle and will never have time to go for trouble. Urging the Fulanis to fear God in all their dealings, the religious and traditional leader equally charged Nigerian security agencies to wake up to their responsibilities by ensuring that all those wielding weapons to ferment trouble are arrested and prosecuted.

Appealing to Nigerians to embrace peaceful coexistence, the Sultan charged other states to emulate Sokoto State on how best to accommodate people for peaceful coexistence. Responding on behalf of all newly elected officers after the oath of office was administered on them by Barrister Abdulrahman Harande Tsamiya, the national president of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Mohammed Kirowa, appealed to Fulanis to continue to embrace peaceful coexistence.

Kirowa who said that Fulanis are not purveyors of troubles added that they will never relent in ensuring that Fulanis live in peace with everybody.

•Sourced from LEADERSHIP.

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