A prominent civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has declared that the threat issued by Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, MACBAN, won’t stop it from saying the truth.
This was as HURIWA blamed the climate of impunity being allegedly encouraged by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal government for the continuous threats unleashed on its leadership for condemning the atrocities of armed Fulani herdsmen who have received support by some persons parading as officials of MACBAN.
MACBAN’s National Secretary, Baba Othman Ngelzarma, had on Friday night warned HURIWA to stop calling the association a terrorist group.
Ngelzarma, while insisting that it was different from Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, warned rights group to stop ascribing the actions and comments of the latter to it.
Ngelzarma had said: “The people HURIWA quoted to have made statements on Ruga have nothing to do with MACBAN and neither did MACBAN say anything to warrant being tagged “Supporter of Terrorism”. It amounts to reckless mischief by a group who ought to know better that their writings have the power to cause genocide. Rwanda is an example on how writers caused the genocide of Tutsis and moderate Hutus in which over a million people were killed.”
However, HURIWA restated her determination to continue to call on the central government and the international community to take action to stop the regime of impunity and lawlessness in Nigeria manifested by the failure of the Federal government to arrest, prosecute and punish armed Fulani herdsmen that have unleashed devastating bloodcurdling violence on communities all over Nigeria.
A statement by HURIWA’s Coordinator, Emmanuel Onuwbiko said even the United States of America through numerous reports have recorded that there is official impunity in Nigeria in the current dispensation and that too many people connected to officials of government are getting away with too many crude crimes including mass murders.
HURIWA recalled that its leader recently advised ethnic groups in the country to defend their rights over “terrorism unleashed on the Nigeria space by armed Fulani herdsmen and Miyetti Allah Cattle Owners Association”.
The statement reads: “HURIWA is determined to ensure that mass murderers are brought to justice or justice brought to mass murderers and no amount of threats from faceless callers can stop us from defending the fundamental human rights of all Nigerians including peace loving members of the Fulani ETHNIC nationality. We have on many occasions condemned the violence meted out on peace loving Fulani herdsmen. We know it as a fact that not all Fulani herdsmen are armed so we take exception to the false information being bandied about us by MACBAN.
” May we remind the signatory to the media statement attacking HURIWA for condemning the atrocious actions of armed Fulani herdsmen that only a year ago it was reported by a section of the media that Miyetti Allah allegedly revealed the reason why its members unleashed mayhem in some villages of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau state killing nearly 200 innocent and defenceless Nigerians.
“Where you in another Planet or did you not read in the media some months back that the Chairman of the north central chapter of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Danladi Ciroma, in a statement reportedly condemned the attacks but noted that the attacks were “retaliatory”?
HURIWA further reminded MACBAN that Ciroma allegedly said in the reported statement that no one should expect peace in the areas where about 300 cows were stolen.
“We wish to refresh the mind of the National secretary of MACBAN who has just attacked us in the media that the following is the statement the media credited to the aforementioned official of MIYETTI ALLAH AND THE STATEMENT HE WAS QUOTED AS SAYING ON THAT VIOLENCE IN PLATEAU STATE ABOUT A YEAR AGO GOES THUS: “These attacks are retaliatory. As much as I don’t support the killing of human being, the truth must be told that those who carried out the attacks must be on revenge mission.There have been recent reports of cow rustling and destruction of farms between Berom farmers and Fulani herdsmen. The people carrying out these criminal activities are well known to the communities but the communities are hiding them….”
HURIWA has, therefore, asked, “Nigerians to take note of the threats on the lives of our officials contained in the media statement calling us unprintable names when what we had insisted on is that the government must stop the climate of fear and impunity and punish persons especially armed Fulani herdsmen responsible for the violence all across the country and to declare MIYETTI ALLAH CATTLE OWNERS ASSOCIATION as a terrorist group for supporting the actions of the armed Fulani herdsmen.”
It added: “Mind you in all our statements we have always supported those positions with information that are public knowledge and we have always stated that MIYETTI ALLAH CATTLE OWNERS ASSOCIATION for not forcefully condemning the mass murders is a terrorists group and should be declared so. We have equally condemned all kinds of killings wherever they had occurred and so we wonder why some persons will attack us for asking that those who carry out attacks should be punished? Recall too that a leader of Miyetti Allah CATTLE breeder in Benue state Garus Gololo stated too that over 1000 cattles were stolen which is why the Benue killings occurred. We humbly asked MACBAN to openly condemn all attacks targeting farmers carried out by armed Fulani herdsmen and also all killings including the killings of members of the Fulani ETHNIC nationality which we had done and will continue to do”.
HURIWA recalled that Garus Gololo told BBC News Pidgin that over 1000 of their cows were stolen at Nengere when their owners were relocating to Taraba through Nasarawa State just as Gololo said the herdsmen were only defending themselves from thieves.
The right group stated that however,a Fulani socio-cultural association, Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, distanced itself from the Benue killings and their perpetrators,labelling them irresponsible elements.
HURIWA insisted it has, “nothing against Fulani ETHNIC nationality but is against the violent activities of armed Fulani herdsmen and wondered why anyone for that matter could issue threats just as a lot of phone calls from unknown persons kept harassing us through our official line each night at every point that we make a public statement condemning activities of armed Fulani herdsmen.
“Why is Nigeria becoming a dungeon whereby those who advocate for HUMAN RIGHTS are threatened, arrested and jailed and persons who indeed made threats or supported mass killings are roaming about powerfully even within the corridors of power.”
