The Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore has described the anti-open grazing laws enacted by various state governments, particularly in the southern region, as empty.
Miyetti Allah National Secretary Saleh Alhassan, who stated this in an interview with Sahara Reporters on Tuesday, said members of the association would not obey the laws.
He said the group had instituted lawsuits within and outside the country against the southern governors, especially the Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, who recently signed the state’s anti-open grazing bill into law, accusing him of trying to destroy herders’ businesses and means of livelihood.
“As far as we are concerned, the anti-grazing bill is a satanic bill. We have already initiated legal actions both locally and internationally against Akeredolu and other governors trying to destroy our means of livelihood,” he said.
“All the people promoting the law are in connivance with the devil. How do you disturb people from their normal business without providing alternative? It’s an empty law, it’s just a political body they are using to steal money in the name of security votes. Most of the cows you see in Southern Nigeria belong to Yoruba and Igbo merchants; they are the ones that owe these cows. This hype about anti-grazing is just political.”
Alhassan said the law had not helped Benue State but had worsened its security situation where thousands had been killed and millions displaced from their ancestral homes.
He stated that the governors should provide ranches, which, according to him, his members were willing to rent before banning open grazing.
When asked if the association was ready to comply with the law, he said, “How will you obey an empty law? The law is satanic, it’s not implementable, it’s a negative law, so how do you implement that? Do you start arresting people with their cattle? Where are the ranches you have created for them?
“We know that we are serving a living God. We are warning seriously that any tribal security outfit that will listen to their governor that they want to illegally eject our herders or steal their cows, God will be deal with them in numerous ways. We are peace loving.”
The group had earlier called on the National Assembly to prevail on the states to stop the implementation of the laws.