RAYMOND OZOJI reports
The leader of the Fulani community in Anambra State and Deputy Director-General of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) Alhaji Gidado Siddiki has raised alarm over what he saw as the constant and incessant intimidations and molestations of their members by vigilante operatives in Umueri community, Anambra-East council area of the state.
Siddiki who spoke to HEADLINE NEWS about the sufferings of their members in the hands of vigilante operatives stationed at Umueri, maintained that in spite of the cordial relationship they have with the state government, vigilante operatives still intimidate their members especially in the Anambra-East region of the state.
Siddiki alleged that vigilante operatives used to arrest their members without any justifiable reasons. He further alleged that anytime the security operatives saw a Fulani herdsman on motorcycle, they will stop him, pick him, maltreat him and blindfold him until they extorted huge sums of money from him before they released him.
He said some of their members came and reported to him that they were blindfolded from 5pm to 8pm until huge sums of money were extorted from them by the vigilante operatives in Umueri before they eventually released them without handing them over to the police.
Siddiki lamented that one of their members was arrested by the vigilante operatives and kept under their custody for 3 months until interventions came from Abuja before he was eventually freed from what he termed illegal detention by the vigilante operatives.
He therefore stressed that so many of their members are reporting to him that they are being maltreated by vigilant men while carrying out their legitimate cattle rearing activities in Umueri community even as he appealed to the state government to intervene to save their members from unnecessary intimidations and maltreatments from vigilante men in Umueri and other parts of Anambra-East Local Government Area.
Meanwhile investigations from Umueri community revealed that vigilante operatives bursted an uncompleted building in the area where Fulani herdsmen camped and allegedly unleashed terror and mayhem on the community and beyond.
HEADLINE NEWS gathered that about 13 new motorcycles were found in their hideout and all the stolen items found in their camp including masks used for robbery were all handed over to the police for further investigations. Sources from Umueri community also countered allegations of intimidations and molestations of Fulani herdsmen by vigilante operatives as such claims were described as arrant falsehoods because nothing of such ever happened in the community.
Responding to the situation, the Special Adviser to Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo on Community Security Chief Ken Emeakayi, opined that they have no issues with Miyetti Allah cattle breeders and there is no record of cases involving cattle dealers because they have cordial relations with the government.
Emeakayi stated that he has received a letter the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) wrote to the governor tagged "An Appeal Against Extortion Of Fulani Residents By Vigilante Group Operating In Umueri Anambra-East " and that he has already scheduled a meeting between the Miyetti Allah group, the Agunechemba vigilante operatives in Umueri and the Anambra-East unit of Agunechemba vigilante operatives.
He however assured that Agunechemba has no problems with Fulani herders but insisted that the meeting will address the concerns of all and sundry satisfactorily.
##
0 Comments