Cattle breeders tell communities to collect numbers of herdsmen

The Myetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria has asked Nigerians to collect telephone numbers of cattle breeders in their states.

Speaking in Obingwa local government area of Abia state, the state chairman Hassan Buba said all community members should endeavor to have contacts of breeders in the state.

Buba, during a town hall meeting with key players in the state said the initiative will assist community members check invasion of herdsmen in their area.
He also said the effort will check destruction of farms and crops by herdsmen.

Buba also appealed to the communities to always notify leaders of the association in the state for any form of invasion by animals for amicable settlement rather than resorting to retaliation which might escalate the situation.

Buba said: “I plead with the traditional rulers of the various communities to seek the telephone number of any herdsman who comes into their area of authority to graze cattle.”

“They should forward such telephone numbers to us to check trouble makers. If the herdsman refuses to cooperate and release his telephone number, the community should report to the security agencies and avoid taking the laws into their hands,” he said.
“This will go a long way to forestall clashes between herdsmen and their host communities.”

In his reaction, the traditional ruler of Etiti Ohanze autonomous community, Eze Marshal Ogbonna lamented the destruction of farmlands and crops by herdsmen.
The leaders called on security agents as well as the leadership of the cattle breeders to check the trend.

The divisional police officer, Eastern Ngwa division, Saleh Musa, said the town hall meeting was convened to find solutions to the clashes between herdsmen and farmers.
Musa said through the intervention of police, situations that would have led to loss of lives and properties were averted and urged both parties not to take the law into their hands, no matter the level of provocation.

Last weekend, the Nigeria police confirmed the killing of a herdsman at the Itadodo area of Ofada in Obafemi-Owode local government area of Ogun state.

The Ogun state police command said the herdsman, Garuba Mohammed was killed by two of his colleagues in the area.
Mohammed Mohammed was grazing his cattle in a bush when the two suspects lured him into a nearby bush and hacked him to death