The Miyatti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has dissociated itself from the Fulani vigilantes who had been parading themselves as MACBAN members.
Kayode Ajulo, a lawyer, had few days ago posted the pictures of some armed men at a roadblock in the Akoko area of Ondo State, claiming to be members of the MACBAN.
But speaking with The Punch on Thursday, the Chairman of the MACBAN in Ondo state, Alhaji Bello Garuba, said, “The report is not true and cannot be substantiated. There was never a time our group came together to form any vigilante group; there is nothing we do without carrying the police along.”
READ ALSO: JUST IN: ‘Herdsmen’ kidnap 3 on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway
Meanwhile, the Ondo State Police Command denied that it was shielding the Fulani vigilantes.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Femi Joseph, said, “Our men are already with various local vigilante groups in the state guiding their activities and anyone of them caught disobeying the rules and regulations would be dealt with.”
He added that the special team from the office of the Inspector-General of Police was still combing the forest reserves, adding that efforts to arrest the criminals would be successful.