Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of
Nigerian (MACBAN) has traced what it claimed is the origin of the Southern
Kaduna crisis.
National secretary of MACBAN, Baba Othman
Ngelzarma said the crisis was like any other between herdsmen and farmers
across the country.
He likened the crisis to what is happening in
Zamfara State where “Muslim farmers and Muslim pastoralists fight as well as
Katsina State where Fulani farmers and Fulani pastoralists fight”.
The official recalled that the Southern
Kaduna crisis started from simple farm destruction in Godogodo community.
Ngelzarma lamented that it was mismanagement
of the destruction episode that degenerated to the current situation.
Ngelzarma said that MACBAN had commenced the
process of ensuring peace through communication with other groups saying the
strategy had brought peace back to Benue State.
He further told Daily Truat that herders were
not only culprits in the crises but also victims.
“Media is not balancing its report; they just
jump into conclusion portraying the herders as the culprits. The herder is a
victim and culprit at the same time. We are at the receiving end.
“When our cattle are rustled and Fulani
herder is kidnapped, our story is not heard because the media is not covering
that area.
“Today, kidnappers no longer kidnap Fulani
herdsmen. What they do now is get his phone number and call him to go and pay
ransom with a threat to kill him if he reports to police.
“Because he lives in the forest he would just
sell two of his cows and pay ransom for him to stay peacefully whereever he
stays.
“Before a personality is kidnapped in the
town, twenty Fulani herders would have been kidnapped unheard in the forest; we
are suffering.
“Where necessary we compliment what security
is doing and we are going round the country for peace building”, Ngelzarma
said.
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