33 stolen cows recovered
A local vigilante team in Jere, Kaduna State says it has recovered 33 stolen cows and arrested three rustlers.
It was gathered that the rustlers, about eight in number bearing rifles were accosted by the team at Maraban Isa village with the stolen cows. Daily Trust learnt that five of the cattle raiders ran into the bush when they sighted the vigilante team while the others were arrested and handed over to the divisional police office in Jere.
Livestock rustling recently became rampant among pastoral communities in the remote areas of the state.
Three herds consisting of over 170 cattle were stolen in December 2013 and the locals are lamenting that their major economic activity, pastoral farming is being threatened.
A member of the vigilante group, Salisu Jere said: “We met the rustlers at Maraban Isa with a herd stolen from Riga Chukun area of the state. Some of them were carrying rifles while others had knives and other locally made weapons on them. Three of them were negotiating the price of two cows with a butcher while the others were with the herd. The vehicle which was brought to move the cows was seen parked nearby. We asked them to explain to us their mission and one said they were pastoralists and wanted to sell two of their cows that are not healthy to a butcher. We surrounded them and one of our team members told them that they were rustlers and must explain where they got the cows from. At that point, one of them confessed that the cows were among the herd they stole from Riga Ckukun and that the butcher has been buying from them”.
He added: “While we were interrogating them, their colleagues ran away leaving behind the herd. They all confessed to be cattle raiders and we handed them over to the police in Jere.”
But when contacted, the state police spokesman, Deputy Superintendent Aminu Lawan claimed that the stolen cows were actually recovered by the police.
He said officers on duty arrested one Musa with two stolen cows and demanded to know where he got them from.
“The man said he bought the cows from herders and he led the police to the rustlers camp in a bush around Jere, where they were arrested and about 33 cows recovered,” the police spokesman said.
Secretary of Jere Development Association Hamza Yakubu said rustling was rampant in the area.
“Rustlers are out of control in this locality and their activities hinder grazing. It is a serious security problem which if not tackled immediately will affect the economy of pastoralists and even commercial livestock farmers. We have seen little effort by the security forces in combating the threat,” he said.