Cattle Breeders: Incessant Cattle Theft, Cause of Plateau Attacks

Seriki Adinoyi Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has alleged that the incessant theft in cattle around Wase, Barkin Ladi, Riyom and Jos South local government areas of Plateau State was responsible for the crisis in the areas in which hundreds have been killed.

The group therefore appealed to the Special Task Force (STF) to help retrieve some of their stolen cows.

The group further said over 300 cattle were stolen from Kunbur, on Sunday by youths in Chapkwai, Wase Local Government Area of the state.

MACBAN chairman in the state, Haruna Boro Hussaini in an interview with newsmen in Jos said, “The government and security operatives know that stealing of cattle is the cause of violence, they know that our cattle are stolen by these youths yet they keep quiet. So what do they want from us? This is the only business we know and when you steal our source of livelihood, you make our boys unemployed and you know that an idle youth is a danger to the community,” he said.

Also, the secretary of MACBAN in Wase, Maikano Abdullahi Yusuf yesterday said some Tarok youths from Chapkwai who were displeased with the incessant rustling had called to report the presence of some cattle in the community.

Yusuf said over 30 armed Tarok youths had rustled their cattle on Sunday afternoon while grazing in Kunbur and killed a herder in the process.

He said: “some of our boys assembled and chased after the rustlers but they were stopped by the soldiers in Wase, the soldiers also saw the cattle and the rustlers but they could not go after them. When we got information that the cattle were moved to Chapkwai, we alerted the police and soldiers but they said they needed orders from above to go after them.”

STF Media and Information Officer, Captain Ikedichi Iweha however insists that the Task Force was only aware of 40 cattle rustled and the recovery of 28. Iweha said, “Our recovery of cattle is higher since we devised some new techniques, but I can only tell you about the 40 cattle rustled, out of which we recovered 28, and we are working hard to recover the remaining.