Amid effort by the government to stop the wandering of fulani herdsmen and their cattle around the Federal Capital Territory metropolis, they have continued to move freely without respect to the new law banning their activities from the nation’s ‘seat’ of government.
When DAILY POST asked the cattle rearers after they were sighted around major roads in town on why they were disobeying government order, they said ”Buhari is our president so nobody can stop us from moving around. More over our animals are looking for food,” he spoke in Hausa.
Meanwhile, our correspondent sighted the same herdsmen and their cattle along Dei-dei expressway as they took over the entire road, forcing vehicular movement to a halt. When our correspondent attempted to take images of the herders and their cattle, she was threatened with a long knife.
Our correspondent also ran into some herdsmen and their cows around the Kubwa Expressway. When they were approached at Dawaki junction, opposite Citec, they refused to respond, asking our correspondent in Hausa to meet their ‘oga.” No contact information was, however, provided by the herdsmen. They were seen taking over the entire road, as vehicles negotiated their ways through.
When DAILY POST spoke with the Spokesperson for the Abuja Environmental protection Board (AEPB), Mr. Ibrahim Muktar, he said the FCT administration had been working tirelessly to rid the state off cattle. According to him, ” It is a menace and I think it is been addressed squarely by the administration. The administration is addressing it by setting up a committee of all those involved, either those causing the menace and those affected, so there is a collaboration between all stakeholders and I’m sure you are going to see an improvement soon.”
Confirming that cattle still move around, he said, ”It’s something you cant hide, the cattle are so big and visible, you can see them waking through the traffic, I think the minister recently spoke on it, and they have set up a committee to tackle that menace.”
Comentarios