“Disregard Presidential Order To Cede Land To Herders, Directive Reckless And Insensitive” – Middle Belt  Patriots To Governors

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Middle Belt Patriots, has issued a stern warning to Governors of North Central States of Nigeria not to give out any of the Region’s land for pastoral activities.

The Group’s warning is coming on the heels of a recent call  by President Tinubu on  Governors to consider the allotment of grazing land to herders in their States as a veritable means of resolving the festering Farmers/ Herders conflicts in some parts of the country.

In s statement issued by the Director of Media and Strategic Communication, Steven Kefas, on Saturday March 16, the Middle Belt Patriot expressed disappointment over what it described as “Federal Government’s constant  pandering to the interests of the pastoralists at the detriment and displacement of the indigenous population whose lands and lives are being overrun by the armed ethnic militias affiliated to the herders ”

According to the Group, the Governors yielding to the  demand to allot lands for grazing purposes will only exacerbate the situation, insisting that the Governors should not cede any land to herders.

“We of the Middle Belt Patriots vehemently condemn and reject the recent directive from the Federal Government asking State Governors to make land available for grazing by the Fulani  herdsmen.

“This provocative and ill-advised order shows a shocking disregard for the already tenuous security situation in the middle Belt Region that has been under sustained violent attacks by armed Fulani ethnic militias.

“We sternly warn the political leaders ,monarchs and Youth/ Community leaders of the Middle Belt Region – Benue, Plateau ,Nasarawa, Niger, Kwara, Kogi ,and sections of Adamawa ,Bauchi, Southern Kaduna, and Gombe, to outrightly disregard and defy this reckless federal Government.

“Capitulating to these demands and ceding more land for to herders will only fan the flames of ethnic clashes ,further the genocidal massacres escalate  the violent displacement of indigenes from their ancestral lands and jeopardize the fragile peace in a region that has already suffered immensely”