Nigerians allege Buhari empowering herdsmen to acquire more weapons

• Report false – Presidency, IG of Police

The alleged offer of N100 billion by the federal government to “appease” the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) over wanton killings and destruction of property, has continued to generate disquiets and cynicism across the country. Albeit, the presidency as well as the Acting Inspector General of Police denied the report, several stakeholders in the Nigerian project have been of the view that such official statement is not sufficient to convince Nigerians.

Some stakeholders who sought anonymity expressed the belief that President Muhammadu Buhari might have approved the purported N100 billion fund for the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) to empower the herdsmen to acquire more weapons and other logistics of violence. They showed concerns that the purported N100 billion financial support to the group is sufficient to cause immense damage in the country at the slightest provocation or instigation.

The stakeholders admonished that the president should not attempt such deal if he is committed to promotion of national integration of Nigeria. They advocated for a more effective security system and government to combat the insecurity in northern Nigeria and other parts of the country.

They chided the president over certain earlier actions of amnesty to Boko Haram fighters in the north east and reintegrating the repentant Boko Haram terrorists into the Nigeria Army or the Nigeria Police.  They were of the view that such government action could make the security system weaker and being sabotaged from within.

A citizen on his social media page lamented: “Boko Haram rehabilitated and recruited into the Armed Forces;” “Fulanis to work with Police to beg bandits with N100bn.” This was just one of those feelings of Nigerians on the president relationship with the merchants of violence in the north.

Several other Nigerians also expressed phobia that an agenda is unfolding.

At a more macro level, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo protested the alleged plan by the federal government to disburse N100 billion to the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, MACBAN, to construct ranches for their cattle.

Ohanaeze deputy publicity secretary, Chuks Ibegbu, had in a statement declared: “We want to warn against any financial deal with the Miyetti Allah Association in the wake of the rumour that the federal government want to allot some huge amount of money to them to partner with security agents to fight insecurity in the country.

“In as much as Miyetti Allah can turn a new leaf and help to ameliorate the insecurity its member contribute to, we are against using public funds to achieve this.

“Those who directly or indirectly cause insecurity in the country should not be compensated for doing so. Else the federal government should as well involve and pay armed robbers to help check armed robbery in Nigeria.”

However, the presidency refuted disbursing N100 billion to the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN).

Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on Media and Publicity, had declared in part: “That is an absolute falsehood. In all of those meetings, nothing like money was discussed.”

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The SSA said FG used the meeting to persuade the leadership of MACBAN to prevail on its erring members; adding that Miyetti Allah is a cultural organization just like the Afenifere associated with the Yoruba nation and the Ohaneze Ndigbo of the Igbo nation.

“The Miyetti Allah group is like Ohanaeze Ndigbo or the Afenifere. It’s just a cultural group.

“There are criminals with the Yoruba race and you cannot say because there are Yoruba criminals, then Afenifere is a band of criminals,” Garba Shehu had remarked.

Also, the Acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, on Tuesday debunked that the Federal Government intends to pay Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria N100 billion to discourage its members from further violence in the country.

Adamu after a closed-door meeting of over two hours with the Senate leadership, had declared: “There was nothing like that. That information you got was social media information. There was no discussion to that effect.

“The source of the information, nobody knows; and certainly it is not from government.

“It is somebody’s imagination that just came up to distract attention.’