Niger loses 1,000 cattle to rustlers in 8 months

Until then, state used to be a safe haven for the Fulani nomads in the country as apart from the vast land for pasture, it also had one of the biggest and most equipped grazing reserves.The 30,222 sq hectares pasture land located in Kamfanin Bobi grazing reserve is said to be housing over 1 million […]

Until then, state used to be a safe haven for the Fulani nomads in the country as apart from the vast land for pasture, it also had one of the biggest and most equipped grazing reserves.
The 30,222 sq hectares pasture land located in Kamfanin Bobi grazing reserve is said to be housing over 1 million herds of cattle, but the fact that the 112 kilometres route within the reserve was overran by farmers forced the herders to migrate.
Daily Trust spoke to the Chairman of the State Chapter of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Ismaila Rebe, who maintained that in the past, the state had no record of cattle rustling apart from pockets of cow theft cases, which occurrence cannot be ruled out in any society.
The chairman said the scenario now took a new dimension because in this year alone, record has indicated that over 1, 000 herds of cattle had been rustled.
“The problem of cattle rustling that is hitherto absent in Niger State has started occurring in the last few months, over 1, 000 cattle have been carted from the herders in Sarkin Pawa,” he said.
Alhaji Rebe stated that the places affected by the menace are mainly Sarkin Pawa and Pandogari in Kagara local government councils of the state, adding that few days ago, their association received reports from some herders that in broad day light, armed bandits stormed a herders’ settlement and took over 300 cows.
According to him, the Fulani herders that were recently attacked were overran by the armed bandits that robbed them of their cattle under gun point, stressing that was the first time large number of their cattle were carted.
Rebe said that the good news about the rustling menace in the state was that in most cases, the cattle that had been rustled by the bandits were recovered, adding that the success in recovering the stolen cows was not unconnected to the good cooperation MACBAN is enjoying from security operatives in the state.
He said: “In Niger State, we will ever remain grateful to the security operatives in the state who made it possible for the herders to recover their stolen cows. More than half of the cattle carted away by the armed bandits have been recovered.”
He said that the recovery was done with the help of the vigilante and the Fulani herders who used to help with meaningful information leading to the arrest of the rustlers.
The chairman disclosed that his association is working assiduously towards arriving at a strategy that will check influx of the armed bandits in the state saying, MACBAN is working in synergy with all the traditional leaders of the nomads to ensure that whoever migrates from another place must not be only properly identified, but the reason for his relocation must be known.
Also speaking, the Vice President of MACBAN, Hussaini Bosso, blamed the herders for most of their woes by allowing their wards to associate with criminals who, in turn, rob them of their belongings.
He said: “We must sensitise ourselves and ensure that if there is any bad egg among us, we must be ready to expose them. This is the only way that we can give our maximum cooperation to the security agencies that, in turn, will be able to provide security to us and to our livestock.”
He added that in the recent past, Niger State has come under attack from armed bandits who mostly emerge from the forest between the boundaries of Kaduna/ Niger states and Kebbi/Niger states.
He urged the Fulani herders to always cooperate with the security agencies, insisting that if they hide a bad egg, the security agencies will find it very difficult to render any form of assistance.