The Sultan of Sokoto has given the new leadership of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) two months ultimatum to identify the killers within its ranks following deadly attacks on farming communities across the country by suspected herdsmen.
The National Secretary of the association, Alhaji Baba Othman Ngelzarma, disclosed this during their peace visit to Edo state on Wednesday.
However, the group fingered politicians as responsible for fuelling herdsmen-farmers clashes to achieve pre-determined agenda.
In the same vein, Ngelzarma blamed some herdsmen who allow minors to go on grazing for the escalating crisis.
He said, “The Sultan of Sokoto during our swearing – in ceremony gave the leadership a two month mandate to fish out the criminals responsible for herders and farmers clash.
“And at times, allowing minor to go on grazing, that is what is causing most of the problem and above all, when all these are not there when the relationship is good, they certainly in the farms, they see each other, shake hands and continue to live but today, because of so many things more especially politicians have made this crisis a fertile ground.
“So, we have arranged to begin to fish out the criminals within us and the farmers so that we can have peace. Most of the activities are being perpetrated by criminals because not all cattle herders are criminals.
“The herders also suffered from the activities of these criminals who killed, maimed and kidnapped our members. We have lost over two million cattle to these criminals.
“Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association is a peaceful organisation which was formed about 30 years ago. We are not party to violence, we condemned them.
“Those moving with sophisticated weapons are not cattle herders, but cattle rustlers. We have had talks with our members and had advised them on what to in relationship with their host communities.
“So, they take advantage of the crisis for their political gains. So the give the herdsmen all sorts of names to the extent that today, whatever communities in Nigeria, if they sight herdsmen come close, they start being jittery, saying trouble is coming close to us.
“Those herdsmen are still the ones that you know but the information we give is to always confess that we also have criminals in our midst just like any other society.”