MACBAN seeks probe of missing herder, killing of cows in Benue
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in Benue State has appealed to the state government and security agencies to intervene in the alleged killing of its members’ livestock and the disappearance of a herder in the Ohimini Local Government Area of the state. At a press conference in Makurdi, the Chairman of […]
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in Benue State has appealed to the state government and security agencies to intervene in the alleged killing of its members’ livestock and the disappearance of a herder in the Ohimini Local Government Area of the state.
At a press conference in Makurdi, the Chairman of MACBAN in the state, Ardo Mohammed Risku, said the association recently lost 70 cows and three rams in separate incidents across the Ohimini, Katsina-Ala, and Guma local government areas.
He accused operatives of the Benue State Civil Protection Guards (BCPG) and local vigilante groups of being behind the attacks.
“Our members have been having problems with the Civil Protection Guards and vigilantes in Ohimini since Thursday of last week. They invaded our settlement, attacked our people, killed three sheep and 30 cows, and one of our members is still missing,” Risku alleged. He further claimed that 22 cows were killed in Katsina-Ala and another 24 in Guma in similar raids.
However, the Chairman of Ohimini LGA, Adole Gabriel, confirmed that while MACBAN had lodged complaints with the council, investigations were still ongoing.
Similarly, the Special Adviser to Governor Hyacinth Alia on Security and Internal Affairs, Joseph Har, dismissed the allegations, insisting that the Civil Protection Guards do not operate without conventional security agencies and could not be responsible for the killings.
The police spokesperson, DSP Udeme Edet, confirmed that one cow and one sheep were killed in Ohimini, while one herder had been declared missing.
Edet said police operatives were still searching for the missing man.