Miyetti Allah denies hoisting red flag to ‘annex’ Ekiti – TheNigerialawyer

FULANI Herders under the aegis of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders
Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), has denied claim that its members
were behind the red flag hoisted at Orin Ekiti, in Ido/Osi Local
Government Area of Ekiti State.

The Head of Miyetti Allah in Ido/ Osi council, Alhaji Adamu
Abashe, spoke in Ado Ekiti on Friday during a consultative forum
between Orin community and herders resident in Ido /Orin axis to
resolve the lingering crisis between the cattle rearers and some
aggrieved farmers.

The community had on December 18, last year raised the alarm
over alleged intention to annex its land by suspected herdsmen,
alleging that the red flag hoisted by the herders in Orin Farmstead
was a signal that a portion of the community had been forcefully
captured.

Debunking the allegations, Abashe said: “We didn’t know how the
flags got there. We were not responsible. We have lived in Orin
Ekiti for over 30 years. We have been living together peacefully
but in recent times, things have changed.

”When I was kidnapped, I did not say Orin people were
responsible, because we are brothers. It was after my kidnap that
the kidnappers came to kill a Tiv woman in that farmstead.

”When they kidnapped my labourer, I paid N300,000 as ransom and
I didn’t say Orin people were behind it. I was not happy with the
killings and destruction in Orin. So, we are not planning evil for
these people that had lived peacefully with us”

Abashe added that those fermenting trouble in the area were
herders from the Northern states and not those that are resident in
Ekiti

“Those perpetrating killings and destruction of farmlands in
Orin are outsiders from the North but with efforts coming from
government, Orin community and Fulani people, all these issues will
be resolved.

”Orin people are not my enemies but the bandits roaring in the
town caused this disagreement. But If you have anything against me,
kindly forgive me. Let us live together as brothers,” he
pleaded.

But despite the appeal by Fulani leader, the people of Orin
Ekiti insisted that Abashe and his people must vacate their
community where they live.

Speaking on behalf of the community, Mr. Omotosho Kayode,
insisted that Fulani herders were allegedly responsible for
killings, hoisting of the flags and destruction of farms worth over
N50 million in the town.

”Two years ago, they hoisted one white flag with red linen and
15 days after, a pregnant Tiv woman and our kinsman, Mr. Emmanuel
Ilori were killed last year and these scenarios may not allow us to
allow Fulani herders to live with us.

”These people are giving us a lot of discomforts. We appeal to
Ekiti government to ask them to leave. We don’t want Fulani on our
land anymore. We are peaceful people . We don’t want Orin Ekiti to
be known for negative news”.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters,
Brigadier Gen. Ebenezer Ogundana, advised the warring parties to
tolerate each other in the interest of peace.

”The essence of this discussion is how we can live together
peacefully. We also want to fashion out how all the herders coming
into Ekiti are identified and accepted . We have lived together for
so many years and we will continue to live together as a
family.

”If anybody commits crime, we should be able to identify him .
Some persons had been killing, destroying farms and hoisted flags
at Orin Ekiti and wrote keep off on it. We want to investigate who
were behind that. Government won’t fold its arms and allow these to
continue.

“We want to work out some conditions to control cattle -farmers’
relations , so that we can live in peace. Continue to tolerate
yourselves until truce is reached on this issue. Every Nigerian can
live anywhere, but there are owners of the land and settlers and
the two must learn how to respect one another,” he said.

In his remarks, the Information Commissioner, Mr Muyiwa
Olumilua, said peace is key to Governor Kayode Fayemi-led
government, urging the two parties to sheathe their swords and see
themselves one.

Olumilua, however, directed the Nigerian Security and Civil
Defence Corps (NSCDC) to keep in its custody, the cows arrested by
the its Agro-Rangers unit pending the resolution of the crisis.