Miyetti Allah urges members to embrace peace in Nasarawa

Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), in Nasarawa State, has called on herders to desist from acts that will dent the image of persons of Fulani extraction in the eyes of the Nigerian public.

It also urged Nigerians to guide against stereotypes that tended to paint an entire ethnic group in bad light over the crime of a few individuals.

Chairman of the state chapter of the body, Alhaji Bala Muhammad-Dabo, made the appeal in Lafia, the state capital on Wednesday.

The appeal came on the heels of a reported attack on a Tiv community in the Keana local government area of the state by men suspected to be herdsmen, which resulted in the death of two persons over the weekend.

President, Tiv Development Association (TIDA) in the state, Mr Peter Ahemba, told journalists on Tuesday, that the attack took place in Antsa community in the Kwara district.

The attack, it was gathered, was provoked by the death of a herder in the hands of suspected armed robbers along the Kadarko-Kwara route.

Muhammad-Dabo said the association has instituted a full investigation into the attack with the intent of fishing out those involved, adding anyone indicted will be handed over to the police for prosecution.

He said a herder was killed in Kwara district of Keana local government area on Saturday, adding that in what looks like a reprisal, a Tiv man was also killed a day later.

He said the two ethnic groups have been living in peace, noting that the incessant conflicts were being fueled by disgruntled elements.

He said the association has been sensitising herders on the need for peaceful coexistence between them and other tribes, while also reporting troublemakers to the appropriate authorities.

He commended Governor Abdullahi Sule for initiating a peace process which has brought calm to feuding communities in the state.

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