A leader of Miyetti Allah cattle Breeders in Benue State said yesterday that the Fulani attacks on the state were in retaliation for alleged stealing of their cows.

Garus Gololo told BBC News Pidgin that over 1000 of their cows were stolen at Nengere when their owners were relocating to Taraba through Nasarawa State.

Gololo said the herdsmen were only defending themselves from thieves.

However,a Fulani socio-cultural association, Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, has distanced itself from the Benue killings and their perpetrators,labelling them irresponsible elements.

National Publicity Secretary of the association, Alhaji Yusuf Ardo, described Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore as an association that upholds peace, love, unity and harmony in the country.

He said:“We are peace loving people, we believe in love for one another. Any Fulani pastoralist that doesn’t believe in peace is not part of us.”

The group appealed to security agencies to arrest the perpetrators of the incident and bring them to book.

The association advised Fulani pastoralists living in Benue and other parts of the country to remain calm and be law abiding while also urging government to look into the crises in Adamawa, Taraba, Kaduna, Zamfara, Nasarawa, Benue and Plateau states with a view to having a lasting solution to issues arising from anti-grazing laws.

count | 60

Why we attacked Benue communities – Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association