By Peter Duru, Makurdi

The Chairman of Benue State Traditional Council, Tor Tiv, HRM Orchivirigh Prof. James Ayati, has called on the leadership of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) to expel killer herders from Benue State.

The traditional ruler asserted that MACBAN could not claim ignorance of the activities of criminal herders in the state. His comments came in response to a statement by the National President of MACBAN, Baba Ngelzarma, who spoke at a meeting in Makurdi. Represented by Adamu Lawal, Ngelzarma blamed “criminal elements” for the attacks and killings in Benue.

Reacting to this, the Tor Tiv likened the situation to “a case where mechanics are there and mad men have joined them; they all dressed the same way.” He challenged MACBAN’s claim, stating, “If you come here and tell us that there are a few criminal elements that have joined the herders and are spoiling the show for all of you, the first thing you need to do is drive away the mad people among you.”

The monarch further noted that the original herders he grew up knowing were peaceful, armed only with a staff to guide their cattle and were considerate enough to avoid destroying farmlands. He contrasted this with the current herders, whom he described as “criminal herders carrying assault rifles, killing our people, raping our women and daughters, grazing on our land, and destroying our crops.”

According to him, “What we have now are not the herders we knew. These ones are armed, violent, and have taken over entire communities, forcing people to flee their homes.”

The Tor Tiv also recounted a past meeting with Northern traditional rulers, where the idea of not changing the culture of a people overnight was raised. He disputed this, asserting that the violence being perpetrated was not part of the Nomadic culture he once knew. “Any culture that is killing people, taking over their livelihood, and destroying their properties does not require one second notice; that culture must end immediately,” he declared.

He extended a gesture of goodwill by offering safe and fertile grazing lands to genuine herders, but warned against intruding on farmlands and destroying livelihoods. “If you come with herds, we will show you where the ground is fertile and the grass is green. But if you come onto our farms, killing people and destroying our crops, that is an alien culture that cannot be tolerated in Benue State,” he stated.

The Tor Tiv concluded by urging MACBAN to “deal with your internal issues. If you say they are mad men and you do not know them, you know them. They dress like you, they talk like you, they carry AK-47. You cannot deceive us. First, deal with the mad men among you and come and present yourself clean; we will accept you. We have always done it; it’s just that things have changed.”