Ganduje, Yuguda, MACBAN Meet Herders Over Insecurity, Welfare

• MACBAN met with former governors and other stakeholders in Abuja on Monday to discuss challenges facing Nigerian pastoralists
• Former Kano State Governor Dr Umar Ganduje said herders must benefit from the federal government’s enabling environment
• Former Bauchi State Governor Malam Isa Yuguda expressed concern about herdsmen carrying AK-47 rifles to defend themselves

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) met with former governors and other stakeholders in Abuja on Monday to discuss challenges facing Nigerian pastoralists.

Speaking at the meeting, former Kano State Governor Dr Umar Ganduje said herders must benefit from the federal government’s enabling environment.

We are requesting the government provide an enabling environment that is a sustainable livestock production reform. Suppose herdsmen can agree to a modern system of livestock production. In that case, there is a need for settlement and settlement requires land and after being resettled, there are other services provided to the communities of herdsmen, he said.

Ganduje stated that while governor, he organised a national conference that resulted in a blueprint that would be presented to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu soon.

Earlier, Malam Isa Yuguda, a former Bauchi State governor, expressed concern about herdsmen carrying AK-47 rifles to defend themselves and some who, he claimed, were using such weapons for criminal purposes.

He also mentioned how cattle routes and grazing areas had been taken over as a result of population growth, and he blamed the government for its inaction.

Customs intercepts 31 arms in Lagos ports

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has successfully intercepted a total of 31 firearms of various types at two ports in Lagos – Tin-Can Port and Port and Multi-Purpose Terminals (PTML). Two suspects have been apprehended and are currently under the custody of the Customs Service.

The newly-appointed Comptroller-General of Customs, Mr. Adewale Adeniyi, addressed the press in Lagos, providing details of the operation. He revealed that on July 5, a collaborative effort involving the Police, Department of State Security (DSS), National Drug Law Enforcement and Administration (NDLEA), and the Customs Intelligence Unit at the Ports Terminal and Multi Services Limited Command, conducted a meticulous physical examination of a 40-foot container.

During the inspection, the following items were discovered: three new Pump Action rifles, one new armed rifle, six different models of new pistols, one new millennium G2 pistol, one new Sarsilmaz SAR-9X pistol, three new Lugger Security-9 pistol, one new Taurus Banbridge G3C pistol, one new SCCY CPX-2 pistol, one new Taurus (63 pistols), 14 empty magazines, and 442 rounds of live ammunition.

He said:

Our dedicated officers and men have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to their responsibilities.