Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria has called on President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime to leverage ECOWAS’ transhumance certificate protocol, to check the influx of herdsmen from neighbouring countries.

This was stated in a statement jointly signed by Muhammad Kiruwa, President, and Baba Ngelzarma, National Secretary, of the association, on Thursday, in Abuja.

The advice was part of the resolutions reached at the end of a one-day national executive meeting of the association with its Board of Trustees’ Chairman, Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III.

He said that the meeting was called to review the country’s deteriorating security situation, as it affected its members and the continued stereotyping by the social and the mass media that all herdsmen were criminals and bandits.

Mr. Ngelzarma also stated that the meeting called on Mr. Buhari’s regime to carry out sensitisation and re-orientation programmes for pastoralists.

It also urged the government to revamp the nomadic education programme for their children.

The statement explained, “The meeting also calls on the federal government to introduce social support programmes, as is done to other sectors of the economy such as farmers and miners, petroleum sector. This will alleviate the huge losses of livestock, considering the over five million cattle that have been lost as a result of banditry, cattle rustling, kidnapping, and climate change.

“The meeting expressed its outrage at how 1,730 cows were allegedly rustled in Kafin Koro, in Mariga local government in Niger state, on February 2, which rendered several families destitute, without any means of livelihood.”

Continuing in the statement, the association said, “The meeting once again calls on the Cooperate Affairs Commission to distinguish its name (Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria) with that of a newly registered organisation bearing the same Miyetti Allah as not to confuse the public.

“The meeting also appeals to the federal government to take immediate action against local criminal gangs known as ‘Yansakai’ in Kebbi and Niger states, who are involved in wanton killings of 153 innocent pastoralists.”