Conflict prevention: Taraba to allocate lands for ranches
The Taraba State Government has announced plans to allocate lands to herders to establish ranches in the state as part of measures to tackle clashes between farmers and herders.
The Chief of Staff, Government House Administration, Mr. Rebo Usman disclosed this in Jalingo shortly after a security stakeholders meeting chaired by Governor Darius Ishaku.
He said the decision to provide lands to herders followed a recent meeting between Governor Ishaku and his Benue state counterpart, Dr. Samuel Ortom. “The two governors had jointly declared their intention to promote cattle ranching through the cultivation of cattle feeds and provision of land to herdsmen for ranches,” the chief of staff said, adding that the governors believed the gesture would bring down conflict between farmers and herders.
Usman who alleged influx of ‘violent herdsmen into the state,’ said such movement was of great concern to the government as security reports had attributed over 80 percent of cases of destruction of farmlands, rape, robbery, cattle rustling and even communal clashes in ArdoKola, Karim-Lamido, Lau and Kurmi council areas to herders.
Reacting, the chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN), NorthEast Branch, Mallam Mafindi Danburam said herders were not responsible for clashes in the state, alleging instead that the state government encouraged communal crises through ‘discriminatory tendency in handling the affairs of the state.’
He said there were instances where herders were attacked and killed and the government refused to bring those responsible to book despite written complaints to government by MACBAN.
“The government should know that Fulani are indigenes of Taraba state and they deserve to be treated as legitimate citizens of the state,” Danburam said.