If there is any group in the country that is so vocal and daring on lives threatening issues each time steps are taken to curb the excesses of those who hide under cattle grazing to cause mayhem in the country, and still ongoing is this group called Miyetti Allah. The group has not hidden the fact that, it is opposed to anti grazing laws now in place in most of the Southern parts of the country, including Benue state whose Governor felt is a step in the right direction at least, to see if the incessant clash between herders and farmers that have claimed so many innocent lives, including banditry and cattle rustling that is associated to this sudden development in the land would come to an end. Everyone clearly understands the point of argument of the cattle breeders because to them, their business as pastoralists, which warrants them to move from one place to another, and again, their source of livelihood is currently being threatened, if every state in the country, according to them, especially the Southern states go ahead in the implementation of antigrazing laws. In the same breath, the group, unfortunately while fighting for the survival of their business have not come to the realization that, the farmers too, who they now have issues with almost everywhere in the country owing to the destructions of their crops also deserve to survive with their own God given trade.
The refusal of the later to understand that movement of cattle on foot, to thousands miles away from home is not only archaic but transcends bounds to decency in the 21st Century, talking about animal husbandry. Besides, the Nigerian people are asking questions why this group is so obsessed in going from place to place, when the people that patronise them across board, apart from the farmers have shown outright rejection of open grazing, under whatever guise. For instance, the group recently described the law against open grazing as satanic and according to them a ploy to cripple economic activities of pastoralists. They equally called on the National Assembly to come into the matter saying that, the law was a violation of 1999 constitution and that it would hamper the abilities of pastoralists to carry out their occupation effectively. Aside from that, they called for urgent review of the Land Use Act, according to them, to accommodate all land resources users especially pastoralists.
They also insisted that ranching as everyone advocates now under the present circumstances as solution to the herders/ farmers clashes they also said, is not sustainable owing to heavy financial outlay it may require. The reality on ground is that, Nigeria today is faced with multiplicity of security problems that continues to assume different dimension and defile every possible solutions, almost on daily basis. The government as it were is seriously challenged. People are being kidnapped on daily basis and ransom are being paid while some are not lucky to come out alive. Just last week, the president, Muhammadu Buhari directed that security operatives should move into the rural areas to protect hapless Nigerians. This was disclosed in Jos during a dialogue between the Federal government, Nigeria lnter-Religious Council (NIREC), and citizens of Jos, Plateau State.
The president who was represented by the Secretary to Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha declared “We have to up our game of protecting our communities, we should not allow people to deceive us, we are in a very bad situation. Because we are in a dire situation given that schools and markets have substantially been closed in the North, even as the transportation of cattle by roads also been restricted in Katsina, the Federal government should no longer look the other way on the utterances of Miyetti Allah who the Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom over time had fingered at various occasions on the challenges that bedeviled the state. Since the government is determined to solving the security challenge in the country which has resulted to farmers not going to their farms, the anti-grazing laws now taking roots in the Southern parts of the country should be encouraged and not allow a group like Miyetti Allah to be a clog in the wheel of progress. Such group should be called to order by the Federal government before it is too late.
