Contrary to the hard stance of Myetti Allah Breed Association of Nigeria against open grazing, Governor of Katsina State in Nigeria’s northwest, Aminu Masari said his government has concluded plans to proscribe open grazing of cattle in the state.
Speaking during an interview on a national television station, Masari who is a Fulani and a Muslim said once certain structures were put in place for ranching, nomadic herding would be outlawed in the state.
The governor spoke against encouraging open grazing of animals in any form, adding that the practice is even contrary to Islamic doctrines, which forbid allowing animals into other peoples’ land.
On banditry, he regretted the involvement of his government in negotiating with bandits and granting them amnesty.
Although Masari said he never regretted his decision at the time, he admitted that information available to him confirmed that engaging the bandits was not the right thing to do.
The governor of the North-west state also identified informants as the greatest challenge to the fight against insecurity in that part of the country.
Masari, who had offered marauding gunmen amnesty, after negotiations with them, said looking back in hindsight, he should not have done that.
He said, “I do not regret it. But the only thing I can say is that with the benefit of hindsight, I wouldn’t have done it. We realised: who are you talking with, because they do not have an umbrella.
“They are not pushing for any ideological view; they are not pushing for any religious view. They are simply bandits, criminals and thieves. Any person in the forest is a potential criminal and should be dealt with as such.”
Speaking on the open grazing controversy, Masari said, “We intend to ban unnecessary roaming about with cattle. But before we do that, we will make provisions where the animals will stay. I think the situation in the southern part of the country is slightly different from the northern part of the country.
“The majority of the herders are from the northern part of the country. So, for us, we need a law that should be obeyed, not one that will be disregarded. For us to come up with the law we will first of all put some structures on ground, then, we will have the law that can back up the structures so that nobody would roam or move about with cattle.
“Even that is un-Islamic. It says do not have the numbers you cannot feed that you have to stretch over to people’s land or on somebody’s farm. I do not think that it is right. And, certainly, once we put in place ranching for the grazing of all animals, the issue of anybody roaming about will be a past.”
On the rising incidence of armed criminality in Katsina State, Masari categorically identified majority of those involved in the act as Fulani, saying, “They are the same people like me; who speak the same language like me; who profess the same religion like me. They are not aliens. So, what we have here on ground is banditry.
“They are people we know. They are people that had been living with us for 100 of years. They are also people of the Fulani extraction. Majority of those involved in this banditry are Fulani, whether it is palatable or not, but that is the truth.
“I did not say that 100 per cent of them are Fulani, but the majority of them are. They are people who live in the forest and their main occupation is rearing of cattle.
“Probably their fortunes dwindled over time with climate change and their lack of access to education, both Islamic and Western education, also aggravated the situation.”
While acknowledging possible infiltrations from some West and North African countries, the governor stressed that the fall of former Libya leader Muammar Ghadafi had encouraged instability and proliferation of arms and ammunitions.
He urged the political leadership in northern Nigeria to summon courage and determination to end the crisis.
“I think it is our responsibility in Katsina and northern Nigeria to be determined to end this,” he said.
Masari added, “The biggest problem in our efforts and other places is their informants. They are everywhere in the markets and the villages and when they see military or police patrol they will inform.
“The problem is the support the informants are giving to the bandits, which empowers them with information. Once we are able to cripple the informants, especially, by taking away the networks, the informants can no longer help them. The armed forces have their own way of communicating.”
The governor explained that the bandits would be fished out and brought to book with the aid of technology and the determination of the armed forces.
He stated regarding the armed criminal gangs, “They live in the forests. The terrain is very bad and reaching them is also very difficult. But with the help of technology and what we have seen the air force is trying to do, we will be able to reach some of their camps, get their leaders and bring them to book. The efforts of the military are yielding success in reaching the most difficult areas.
“A lot of these areas are ungoverned, because they are forest areas. Access to them is difficult in rainy season but not impossible. With technology, we will be able to reach wherever they are and fish them out.”
Meanwhile, six additional Tucano fighter jets are expected in the country next week to complement the six already on the ground in the fight against insecurity.
Minister of Defence, Major-General Bashir Magashi (rtd), also revealed after the meeting that six more Tucano jets would be in the country by next week to boost the fight against insurgency and other criminalities bedevilling the country.
Baba, who spoke after Tuesday’s meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) at State House, Abuja, chaired by Buhari, said the president had directed sustained action to end the menace of selective abduction and killings in the North-central and North-west geopolitical zones.
In a related development, the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, Tuesday, said President Muhammadu Buhari was worried about the selective abductions and killings in the North-west and North-central zones of the country. Baba said the president had directed all security agencies in the country to ensure immediate end to the situation.
Baba, who acknowledged government’s responsibility to secure the citizenry, admitted that more needed to be done to change the insecurity narrative pervading the North-central and North-west, as well as other parts of the country.
He said, “The president also observed and made a remark that the constitutional responsibility of government is the provision of security, and he is ready to provide such.”
