The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has called on President Bola Tinubu to issue a clear directive to security agencies to ensure the protection of pastoralist communities across the country.
In a statement released on Friday, April 18, in Abuja, the association’s National Secretary-General, Alhaji Bello Gotomo, also appealed to the Federal Government to put an end to what it described as ongoing discrimination against pastoralists.
Gotomo stressed the need for urgent intervention by the Office of the National Security Adviser to address what he called “ethnic profiling, stigmatisation and scapegoating of pastoralists.”
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He said, “The Nigerian Government must ensure accountability, justice and protection for all citizens regardless of ethnicity.”
The MACBAN official expressed concern over what he described as the unlawful arrest and dehumanising treatment of some pastoralists in Opere Market, located in Kabba Local Government Area of Kogi State.
He said, “Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria calls on the Federal Government, the National Human Rights Commission and the International Community to urgently intervene.”