Agatu massacre: Community representatives, cattle breeders sign peace pact
Participants in the town hall meeting held between stakeholders in the Agatu and Fulani herdsmen crisis, which included representatives of the affected Agatu communities and Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), have signed a peace pact in Abuja in a bid to lay to rest the prolonged violent crisis between the cattle breeders and farmers in Agatu land, Benue State.
Having discussed the steps necessary to be taken both at the federal and state levels, to ensure a lasting and enduring peace between the Idoma community in Agatu and the Fulani herdsmen, they agreed to work closely with various communities, government of Benue and Nasarawa states, the Federal Government and all willing partners towards fostering peace and mutual cooperation, security, and sustainable development that includes strengthening its collective desires to promote cooperation.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the town hall meeting, the group agreed to continue to cooperate amongst themselves and continue in this all-important quest to dialogue and explore all efforts and avenues targeted at bringing about lasting peace. It therefore resolved and hereby recommend as follows:
They however recommended the immediate cessation of hostilities between the Idomas in Agatu and the Fulani Nomadic community carrying out grazing activities in Agatu.
Paul Edeh, convener of the 1 Idoma initiative urged the national leadership of MACBAN to direct its Benue and Nasarawa States chapters to immediately direct all Fulani herdsmen carrying out grazing activities in Agatu to immediately withdraw and move to Nasarawa State while dialogue towards the peaceful resolution of the conflict is on-going. While the Agatu youths should desist from patrolling the riverbank until when better understanding is sought between the two parties.
The Federal Government was also urged to immediately set up a high power committee that will include the leadership of the 1 Idoma Initiative and Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) to comprehensively look into the immediate and remote causes of the crisis with the view of finding a lasting solution.
“The Federal Government should draw up a roadmap to commence the immediate reconstruction, rehabilitation and re-integration of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Agatu back to their various communities. Similarly, the Fulanis who lost their cattle during the crisis should be compensated accordingly.
“All future conflicts arising between the Idoma people of Agatu and Fulani herdsmen should be addressed through dialogue rather than violent means as was the recent case.
“The Federal Ministry of Agriculture is urged to create and give adequate attention to the Livestock value chain development in Nigeria in order to cater for the growing demands of the nomadic community to address the imbalance between agronomy and livestock development in Nigeria”, he said.
As part of its recommendations, the Ministry of Agriculture was also urged to immediately organize a broad stake holders meeting between cattle breeders and farmers with a view to providing short, medium and long term solutions to the crisis between cattle breeders and farmers in Nigeria. While the Federal, States and Local governments are urged to evolve a strategic framework for the implementation of the long-term solution to the problem of grazing.
Muhammadu Kiruwa, National President, MACBAN said that the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture should address the issue of grazing reserve and mapping out of the Primary, Secondary and Tertiary cattle routes in Nigeria so as to put an end to the problem of perennial clashes between local farmers and Fulani herdsmen.
The Ministry of Agriculture was also urged to propose a Bill to resolve the above issue while the National Assembly is urged to consider and pass such bill into law expeditiously.
“We jointly call for the provision of adequate and permanent security in the crisis area up to the time when peace and security will be fully restored and thereafter.
“We urge the Executive Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom to immediately visit Agatu with his cabinet members for an on the spot assessment of the situation and ensure that rapid development of the crisis areas are commenced. We believe when this is done, it will go a long way in pacifying the victims of the crisis”, he added.