Benue Youth Forum, BYF, has said the plan by the Fulani Socio-cultural group, Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, to establish vigilante groups across the country is an evil plan to float another terror arm in the name of a Vigilante group and unleash mayhem on the people.
The youth group alleged that if allowed, Miyetti would convert the vigilante group into a pseudo-security outfit to further expand their killing fields.
In a press statement signed by the group’s president, Terrence Kuanum, called for the immediate arrest of the leadership of the Miyetti Allah to stop them from floating another terror arm in the name of a Vigilante group and unleash mayhem on the people.
The statement reads: “The Benue Youth Forum, BYF has received with concern and total rejection, plans by Miyetti Allah to establish vigilante groups across the country.
“The BYF describes as very curious, a situation whereby a private group with known tendencies of violence which has taken responsibility for majority of the killings of innocent Nigerians, particularly in Benue State saying it wants to float vigilante group in the country.
“It will be recalled that the National Secretary of Miyetti Allah, Engr. Hassan Saleh had in an interview with International Center for Investigative Reporting, ICIR threatened that “the Fulani communities are mobilising their own security outfits and that their people will not be in thousands, but in millions” apparently to challenge the conventional security outfits.
“He further boasted that “it is the only way they can fight back the powers that be against them.”
“This is a clear call to war against ethnic nationalities by the Fulanis who are using their proximity to power in Nigeria to disposses other tribes of their ancestral lands if such threats are taken lightly. This is one of the reasons that have persistently made Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom to keep calling for the arrest and prosecution of the leaders of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore for their avowed complicity in the invasion of Benue communities and gruesome murder of over 5000 unarmed people, as well as destruction of properties worth billions of naira and displacement of millions of people, thereby creating a cruch humanitarian crisis.
“This is a reminder to all of a similar threat by Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore in 2017 who vowed that blood will flow in Benue State if the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law was not scrapped by the state. What followed thereafter was the killing of over 70 innocent persons in their sleep in January 2018. These killings have continued ever since.
“The Benue Youth Forum sees this open declaration to establish private Vigilante Group across the country as another affront on the sensibilities of the Nigerian State. The Federal Government must not allow this blood thirsty group have their way. The Forum makes bold to say that Miyetti Allah as a tribal association has no legal rights to establish Vigilante groups when their members don’t have definite location as wonders where the groups will be stationed.
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“The Benue Youth Forum further notes that, the cattle breeders group want to create parallel governments in places they find themselves as they clearly said they were creating groups to fight against established security outfits as claimed by the Secretary of the Association.
“The Forum alleges that the Fulani group are simply on another voyage to legalise the incessant killings of Nigerians to take over their lands.
“We wonder what would become of our communities if they surreptitiously create a military wing under the guise of a Vigilante group when even now that members of Miyetti Allah have not officially formed Vigilante Group, their members bear prohibited arms and wage war against ethnic nationalities across Nigeria.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Fulani as an ethnic group have no legal rights to establish Vigilante groups anywhere they find themselves, but should rather subject themselves to constituted authorities wherever they settle.
“The Benue Youth Forum calls on the cattle breeders to obey laws of states where they settle especially the anti-open grazing legislations if they have genuine intentions of living in those areas.
“The body calls on the Federal Government and all relevant security agencies in the country to arrest the leadership of Miyetti Allah so as to nip in the bud, this evil plan to float another terror arm in the name of a Vigilante group and unleash mayhem on the people.
“We, therefore, urge state governments across the country to be vigilant as the cattle breeders clearly want to convert their militia groups into a pseudo-security outfit to further expand their killing fields.
“The Forum is ready to resist any attempt to impose on the people a group of merchants of death disguised as vigilantes.
“Back home, we encourage Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state who has been the leading voice in exposing the hidden agenda of the Fulanis to once again, rise to the occasion, rally people of goodwill and forestall the impending disaster as usual.”
