BY Raymond Ozoji, Awka
Fulani cattle rearers doing business in Anambra State have said that they were not responsible for the alleged kidnap of 6 persons in the state capital Awka earlier in the week.
They said attributing such a heinous crime to whole tribe or business entity was uncalled for because Fulani cattle rearers were in the state for business purposes as well as strive to live in harmony with their host communities due to their nomadic nature.
They were of the opinion that such criminality could only be perpetrated by daredevil hoodlums and not people who are doing legitimate cattle business and peacefully coexist with their hosts wherever they took their cattle for pastures.
While debunking the association of Fulani herdsmen with the abduction of 6 persons in Awka and alleged payment of N75 Million ransom by victims as reported in the media, they also raised alarm and drew government's attention to the recent murder of two members at different locations in the state coupled with the killing of 20 cows also on separate occasions during grazing in the forests by criminal elements.
Lamido of the Fulani community in Awka and the National Deputy Director-General of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) Alhaji Gidado Sidikki, who spoke exclusively to HEADLINE NEWS concerning the plight of the herdsmen in the bushes and forests when they take their animals to feed them, said one of the herdsmen was killed at Nando in Anambra-East while the other was murdered in cold blood at Nimo Njikoka council area respectively.
Siddiki also disclosed that in June about 14 cows were killed and still in July this year about 5 cattle were killed by criminals who attacked herders in the forests, adding that it was malignant and malicious for anyone to attribute kidnap incidents to Fulani tribe because they were not kidnappers but legitimate businessmen rearing and selling cattle for a living.
Siddiki said, " I have recently come across a publication with the headline: "Suspected Fulani Herdsmen Kidnap 6, Receive Ransom of 75M." This headline is deeply concerning and, in my view, inappropriate. Criminals, regardless of their background or affiliations, should be apprehended and held accountable by the authorities.
However, I strongly condemn any form of tribal demonization or unjust association of individuals involved in legitimate cattle breeding and trading.
It is crucial that any person found guilty of kidnapping or other criminal activities is dealt with according to the law, without casting unfair aspersions on entire communities or professions.
Our members have suffered more from criminal activities than any other community. This week alone, we lost two individuals who were brutally killed by these criminals from communities in Anambra state.
We refer to them as criminals, and we refuse to attribute our loss to any specific tribe or business entity. We understand that these criminals act independently and are not sent by any group or community."
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