Members of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore Fulani Socio-cultural Association have promised to encourage their people to only vote for whom they believe will negotiate the best deal for herders in the country.
The group promised to fight against the anti-open grazing law enacted by the government of Benue, complained of extra-judicial killings and harassments being meted out on them by security and paramilitary agencies.
National President Miyetti Allah, Alh. Abdullahi Bodejo said that the enactment of the law is the most wicked act any government can do to the economic interest of Fulani pastorialists.
He said that most of their members have fled their homes and now become refugees in neighboring states of Nasarawa and Taraba.
Speaking in Abuja at the end of the national delegates meeting of the association, he said that his people unanimously condemn and reject the repressive and oppressive law.
His words, ” Delegates view the continuous policies of segregation by some state governors seeking to criminalise the economic livelihoods of Pastoralists through the enactment of obnoxious laws ’Anti-open Grazing Law’ as the most wicked act any government can do to the economic interest of Fulani Pastoralists and unanimously condemned and totally reject the repressive and oppressive laws.
“Consequently, delegates affirmed their support and solidarity for the legal action instituted by the National Leadership to challenge the negative and segregatory Benue anti-grazing law at the Federal High Court Abuja.
“The situation in Benue as it stands today, our members are totally displaced from their traditional place of earning their livelihoods, we have over three hundred Fulani youths that are in jail because of the law that we are still challenging in court.
“Our people experience extra-judicial killings by security and paramilitary agencies, harassment, intimidation of herders seen around Benue, which is why we are calling on the abolition of that law.
“As it stands today in Benue, our members are refugees in neighboring states of Nasarawa and Taraba states and we are hoping that something is done to ameliorate the pitiable situation they find themselves.
“The Benue issue remains the most vexed issue to pastoralists in Nigeria and the whole of West African sub region because it is a policy that is aimed at destroying pastoralism, which is a means of to millions of pastoralists across sub-Saharan Africa.
“As for 2019 elections, we are weighing what the two candidates will bring on the table, what they have for the pastoralists that are facing numerous challenges across the country and when we finish our assessment, we will invite the whole world to know our stance but for now, we are asking our members to be ready with their PVC’s and await where we can negotiate the best deal for them particularly on the issue of their economic livelihood because any candidate we support must come out clean on what future plans he has for livestock development in this country and his agenda for farmers and herders in this country, It’s not just the two candidates that are contesting, we have over ninety political parties contesting, it will be unfair to narrow down to two perceived parties.”
National Secretary of the association revealed that herders in Kogi are dying of a disease they believe to be gastrointestinal, where patients bleed till they die.
His word “Other problems facing pastoralists is that in Kogi state, there has been an outbreak of a viral disease that have been killing our members in the villages and up till now the centre for disease control or ministry of health is yet to investigate it, this should be investigated before it becomes a national disaster. It is around Dikina and Ayimgba there is an outbreak of a gastro intestinal disease where patients bleed before they die.”
