In a bid to stem the recurrent herdsmen menace in Oganenigu Community, Dekina Local Government area of Kogi State, a delegation led by the Senior Special Adviser, SSA, to Gov Yahaya Bello on Emergency Management, Ocholi Yakubu has paid a visit on the National headquarters of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, in Abuja.
While intimating Baba Usman Ngelzarma, MACBAN Secretary General of the purpose of their visit, Mr Yakubu said, the team was at MACBAN as part of the community’s ongoing efforts at finding lasting solution to the perennial herdsmen Crisis in the community.
“We are here as part of the very many peace moves Oganenigu Community is making to ensure amicable resolution to the herdsmen crisis. This has become very pertinent because Oganenigu is a farming community. For as long as the crisis persists, the farmers cannot go to the farm. We fear this is already creating a famine situation in our community.”
Another member of the delegation, Hon Umar Edibo reiterated the need for ‘urgent’ peaceful negotiation, so that the crisis will be quickly resolved because, the crisis is taking its toll on the people of the community.
“The community has exhausted every known peace initiatives available to it, aimed at reaching amicable solution to the crisis. Hence, the decision to turn to the umbrella body of cattle Breeders in Nigeria as a last resort.”
Reacting to the delegation’s peace initiatives, the Secretary General of MACBAN, Ngelzarma thanked the delegation and people of the community at large for embracing ‘peace option,’ instead of taking law into their hands.
He attributed the increasing spate of herdsmen-farmers crisis to criminality by cattle rustlers, who he said, go around causing crisis between genuine herdsmen and farmers.
Credit: Leadership
