Killings: North’s governors begin talks with Miyetti Allah

The Northern Governors’ Forum (NGF) has held a meeting with the national leadership and state chapters of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) as part of efforts to find lasting solutions to the continued clashes between herdsmen and farmers.

The meeting, which held in Sokoto, was attended by the NGF chairman and Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima, host Governor Aminu Tambuwal and their counterparts from Kano (Abdullahi Ganduje) and Kaduna (Nasir El-Rufai).

Though no formal communiqué was issued after the meeting, reports showed that the gathering discussed genesis of the crisis, efforts to contain it and how to entrench permanent a solution.

Shettima said the 19 northern states are worried by the rising insecurity involving herdsmen and farmers. He hoped that their intervention will help in finding lasting solutions to the conflicts.

According to Shettima, the governors are intervening to complement the Federal Government’s efforts by adopting a local-conflict resolution mechanism to bring back trust and understanding among the people.

He said: “We have seen enough crises in the Northeast with Boko Haram. We cannot afford to allow other conflict linger without a solution. We hope to hear from all sides and finally come up with a workable plan that will restore confidence and entrench lasting peace in our region.”

A source said of MACBAN’s stand: “The leadership of Miyetti Allah, led by the National President, Muhammed Kirowa, told the meeting that the approach to conflict resolution adopted by political leaders in some states is not helpful in finding lasting peace.

“In his views, political leaders, especially governors, should approach issues of peace in a neutral perspective, not as biased party. He said their members have lived in many of these conflict-prone communities for centuries without conflict, but wondered why the situation getting out of hand now.”

Reports said though no resolution was reached at the Sokoto meeting, a new round of discussion will be scheduled for Abuja, Jos, Makurdi and Kaduna in the coming weeks and months.

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