How cattle rustling is choking Katsina

Such is the plight of Abdullahi Malam (not real name), a herder in Faskari local government, who told Daily Trust that he is now left with nothing having lost 37 cattle and six sheep to armed rustlers.“On a Sunday night, a group of armed men attacked my boys who watch over the cattle. They threatened […]

Such is the plight of Abdullahi Malam (not real name), a herder in Faskari local government, who told Daily Trust that he is now left with nothing having lost 37 cattle and six sheep to armed rustlers.
“On a Sunday night, a group of armed men attacked my boys who watch over the cattle. They threatened to kill them if they did not surrender. They even made the boys herd the cattle to a road which leads to Maigora,” he said.
“What bothered me the most is that 20 out of the cattle belonged to a neighbour who contracted me to cater for his livestock. I am fortunate that he considered that mine was stolen too, so he did not ask me to pay for them.
“I have been left with a huge burden. With two wives and 13 children, now I work on other people’s farms to sustain my family. I am not good at farming; the only profession I know is to be a herder. I don’t know where to start from now,” the frustrated herder said.
Although rustling is not a new phenomenon in northern Nigeria, it has however taken a more dangerous dimension from the minor theft that it was, to the use of sophisticated weapons which the rustlers never hesitate to use on anyone who dared to stand in their way.
Recently, several people in different local government areas across Katsina have fallen victim to rustling, including very prominent personalities; but these people say disclosing their identities as they narrate their ordeal is like signing their own death warrant.
In 2013, communities like Batsari, Jibiya, Kankara, Faskari, Sabuwa, Danmusa, Dandume and Safana, which are all connected to the Rugu forest, witnessed several incidents of rustling and in some cases loss of lives.
A herder, who declined being named for his personal safety said the thick forests surrounding these border towns made it easy for rustlers to perpetrate their crime.
He said: “During the rainy season, our pastoralists usually migrate to these forests where they have more than enough to feed their livestock. But lately, they have been unable to do so because the forests have been overtaken by rustlers. These rustlers comfortably reside in the forests; they have all the modern gadgets like computers, mobile phones, generators and even televisions.
“These people know that they cannot be apprehended except by air raid. They come into town when they please, sometimes in broad day light, to conduct their operations. They even have informants within the communities who help them, probably in exchange for some stipends,” he said.
Not only do these rustlers steal from their victims, they sometimes beat them up and in cases where there are women in the household, they rape or kidnap them.
Miyetti Allah officials, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the rustlers have become ruthless as they are blinded by their quest to acquire wealth at all cost.
An official said: “If you are an aged person, they come to you and tell you that you are too old to rear cattle and that you should rest and allow them lift the burden from your shoulders. If you refuse to surrender your cattle, they will beat you up or even kill you and leave with the cattle.”
Of the seven local government areas usually terrorised, Safana is said to be the worst hit.
The official said: “Some of our members have been killed in Safana and Batsari and many people there have lost all their cattle. Each time an incident occurs, we inform the security agencies and the government. The state provided seven Hilux vehicles for security personnel to patrol the seven local government councils but that truly is not enough. You cannot fight people who are lodged in such thick forests and are armed with sophisticated weapons like that.”
He said their major challenge is fear for their lives and the safety of their family members.
“We are afraid to give information because once the rustlers find out; they come back and kill the informants,” he said.
Several sources confirmed that the rustling gangs are spread across the thick forests and they enlist criminals from far and wide.
They also allege an international dimension to the crime and the possible support of some security agents.
 Another Miyetti Allah official said: “This is an organised crime with an international dimension. These people have several camps spread across the forest.
“They have their leaders in Birnin Gwari, Zamfara and every other camp that links to the forest; and they operate together. We also believe that they have people in all the security agencies because there is no way a large number of cattle can be carted away without the cooperation of the security agents.
“The most baffling thing is that sometimes people are caught, and we know they are rustlers but the next day they are released. They even threaten those who expose them. So, how can you not think that the security agencies are involved?,” he said.
He added that it is difficult for cattle to be recovered once they are rustled. “Remember that we share borders with Zamfara and Kaduna states. These people steal from different places; sometimes they steal from other states and bring them here. They graze in clusters, so that way it’s easier for them to discard those that were stolen here and bring back others stolen from elsewhere,” he said.
Another official of the Miyetti Allah group, who also spoke in confidence, said it is difficult to keep track of the number of rustled cattle or deaths that have occurred in the process because rustling has became a daily occurrence.
“It does not make sense for someone to have spent his entire life toiling to ensure his family lives comfortably, only to lose it all like that,” he lamented.
Though the state recently issued a directive restricting the transportation of cattle between 6am and 7pm, as a means of tracking stolen cattle and curtailing the menace, this source said what they need is for the governments of all 36 states across the country, particularly border states, to work together so as to find a lasting solution to the problem.
“We want a situation whereby an indicator is given to persons who move cattle from one place to another to show that the cattle were in fact not stolen and that the person has the authorisation to sell them.
“The indicator should state where the cattle were taken from, a contact number that can be reached for verification and the number of cattle. We have these cattle rearers who have no permanent place of abode. They move from Cameroon to Niger to Burkina Faso and Nigeria; you cannot even tell where they come from. This is the more reason why we must come together to fight this menace,” he also said.
Like the other respondents, this source said that they live in perpetual fear.
“We fear for our lives because we do not know the people involved in this crime. These people are really heartless; they never hesitate to deal with anyone who interferes in their dealings. Sometimes when they come on their operations, we plead with them to have mercy and leave even if it is the calves for us but they never heed to out plea. Now they commit all types of atrocities. They maim, kill and sometimes rape or kidnap our girls,” he said.
“Recently in Dutsinma about nine people were killed. We fear that the situation will retrogress into something worst because people are tired of keeping mute. Vigilante groups of the various towns and Fulani organisations need to cooperate if we are to combat this evil,” he said.
One herder who lost his entire cattle to rustlers said sometimes they are forced to accompany the rustlers along with their cattle to a path far away from their homes, then left to wander back alone.
“It is the peak of humiliation. You steal from me and you still make me show you the easiest path to follow. Well, one has no option but to obey; that is if you still want to live,” he said.
The activities of these rustlers have not only forced several herders to relocate, it has also made cattle dealers become skeptical when purchasing livestock for fear that they may have been stolen.
An official of the cattle dealers association said: “One has to think twice before purchasing cattle from anyone. There is always the possibility that they were stolen. As a matter of fact, it is even better to travel to neighboring countries like Niger, Chad, Cameroon or Burkina Faso to purchase as much as you want; that way you are certain you are not going to run at a loss.”
Recently, the state’s Police Commissioner, Muhammad Hurdi, listed as part of operational equipment needed by his command, a helicopter, to enable aerial patrols and to fight criminal activities like cattle rustling.
Last year alone, over 1,000 persons reportedly left their communities after being terrorised by the rustlers.
The state’s Commissioner for Agriculture, Musa Adamu Funtua, said the state government is doing its best to curtail the situation and has put in place measures to ensure rustling activities come to an end soon.
“Stakeholders are working towards bringing an end to the menace. We have title holders, security agencies and the Fulani, too. A lot of cattle have been recovered. And though the Fulani themselves are often afraid to speak out, some of them have helped in identifying cattle recovered,” Funtua said.