ALBNI tasks Buhari over Benue killings, demands prosecution of Miyetti Allah’s leaders

By Kemi Kasumu, General Editor

The Accountable Leadership For Better Nigeria Initiative (ALBNI), on Tuesday, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to act fast by arresting and prosecuting the leaders of Miyetti Allah’s leaders over the recent killing of 34 people in Benue State.

The non-governmental organisation (NGO), which spoke through a press release jointly signed by its President, Remi Adebayo, and Secretary, Ibrahim Dan-Halilu, copy of which was sent to The DEFENDER, however did not mention anything about the call by the Fulani tribe calling for the arrest and prosecution of killers in Mambila plateau Taraba State, of over 700 of their members and defenceless women and children.

This seeming deliberate avoidance of comment on Mambila plateau massacre by many of the activists and Press is said by some of our respondents to have made this problem more complicated, a situation the CNN, BBC and Aljazeera declined to be part of.

Urging suspension of cattle colony being proposed by the government, the Accountable Leadership For Better Nigeria Initiative (ALBNI) asked the government to immediately order the arrest and prosecution of the national and Benue state leadership of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) for perceived complicity in the dastardly murder of 73 people in the state on the eve of the new year.

It said “that the Buhari administration has not shown sufficient commitment to bringing the perpetrators and sponsors of the criminal acts to justice.

“We therefore call on President Muhammadu Buhari to take decisive stand against attacks on innocent communities by murderous herdmen, regardless of their place of birth.

“We wish to remind the president of the oath of office he swore, to protect every Nigerian citizen, not minding their ethnic, region or religious backgrounds, and to conduct his official duties without fear or favour,” the statement read.

“It’s regrettable to note that instead of prosecuting the perpetrators of Benue killings, President Muhammadu Buhari was more concerned with providing safe haven for his Fulani kinsmen to practice their herding business to the detriment of the security and safety of the natives.”