…no cow, human killed in military operation – Benue govt insists
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) Acting Chairman in Nasarawa State, Bala Dabo, said 500 cows were killed during the military operation in the Kuduku community of the Keana Local Government Area and some parts of the Doma Local Government Area.
He alleged that two military aircraft that were deployed in Fulani settlements threw bombs, causing the death of the cows.
The MACBAN leader said that there was a deliberate plan to send the Fulani into extinction following the anti-open grazing law passed by some states in the country.
He stated, “The anti-grazing law in Benue State is meant to force the Fulani into extinction. We appeal to the Federal Government to rise up to the challenge and salvage our people.
“There is no justification for gunships to come to Nasarawa territory and kill cows. We are peace-loving people and not troublemakers.”
“The cows are our sources of livelihood. We are in pain at the moment and we are calling for help from Nigerians. We had just returned from grazing when the aircraft came and killed them around 6pm on Sunday.
“The cows killed were between 450 and 500. Some of them got injured. There are some of the cows that ran into the bush and up till now, we are still looking for them. About 200 cows are missing at the moment. I also got information that the herdsmen controlling the cows were also affected by the bombs thrown by the military.”
But the Nasarawa State Government said the incident had not been confirmed. It assured that an investigation would be carried out to ascertain the actual cause of the issue and possibly find a lasting solution to it.
The state Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dogo Shammah, who stated these in an interview with one of our correspondents on Tuesday in Lafia, said, “We heard something of that nature. We will investigate the issue to know what exactly transpired. I assure you that government will do everything possible to address the issue and restore normalcy in the affected area”
But the Benue State Government denied allegations against the state Governor, Samuel Ortom, on the anti-open grazing law.
The state Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mrs Ngunan Addingi, in an interview with journalists in Makurdi on Tuesday, said the military was only carrying out operations at the boundary between Benue and Nasarawa states where terrorists had sacked and taken over communities.
She stated, “No farming activity takes place in the affected communities any longer. The military was only performing its duty of flushing out terrorists who wield AK47 and occupy the forests from where they launch attacks on innocent people.
“In the aerial surveillance carried out in border communities of Benue and Nasarawa states by Operation Whirl Stroke, no human life or cow was lost,” Addingi said.
Recall that Ortom had three weeks ago allayed the fears of people of the state. He said the aerial surveillance that would be carried out by the military in parts of the state was to flush out criminals and bandits.
Also the spokesperson for the Nigerian Air Force, Edward Gabkwet, on Tuesday told one of our correspondents that NAF did not kill any cow. “It is a fake and unrealistic report,” Gabkwet simply said.
