The Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has charged herdsmen, under the aegis of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, to fish out criminal elements among them. The monarch expressed regrets that Fulani herdsmen were being generally painted as criminals, which he maintained they were not.
He urged Nigerians to avoid ethnic profiling whenever a crime was committed, noting that “criminals have no tribal marks.” A statement on Sunday quoted the ex-Central Bank governor as saying this on Sunday in Minna, during a national executive council meeting of MACBAN.
The meeting, according to the statement, was also attended by the Lamido of Adamawa, Muhammadu Barkindo Musdafa, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, Dr. Aliyu Tilde and other stakeholders.
He urged MACBAN to also liaise with the governors of Niger, Kogi, Nasarawa and Kano states who have indicated interest to allocate grazing reserves, with a view to developing them. In his remarks, the Zonal Chairman of the National Executive Committee, MACBAN, Alhaji Gidado Siddiki, noted that:
“Conflict between herdsmen and farmers has a long history; the solution has been to engage all stakeholders to find an amicable solution to the conflict.”
He commended the approaches of governors Willie Obiano and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Anambra and Enugu states respectively,
“Who have been able to effectively stem the recurring clashes between farmers and herders at a time their other peers and the Federal Government are at a loss on how to handle the clashes.”