The Delta State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) yesterday alleged that herdsmen have perfected a plot to kill more farmers in their host communities.
It said allegations by the Publicity Secretary of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) in a BBC Hausa service broadcast recently that 150 herdsmen and 300 cows were killed in the state this year was not true.
Secretary of CAN, Oke Akokotu, who spoke to journalists in Asaba, advised the leadership of the herdsmen in the state to desist from making inciting statements capable of causing public unrest.
He described the allegations as baseless, false, mischievous and atrocious, alleging that herdsmen in various communities in the state were holding secret meetings in recent times with a view to unleashing more terror on residents of their host communities.
According to the Guardian Nigeria, the State Commissioner of Police, Zanna Ibrahim, in a swift reaction, said the police were ready to bring any herdsman causing mayhem in the state to book and warned those holding secret meetings to desist from doing so.
Speaking further, Akokotu noted with dismay MACBAN’s allegations and called on it to retract the statement and apologise to the Delta State government and their host communities.
CAN, however, called on the Police and the State Security Services (SSS) to hold talks with the traditional rulers in the state to ascertain the enormity of the atrocities committed by herdsmen in the past few years.
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