The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, Plateau State chapter, has accused the media of bias and complicity in its reports against its members.
State chapter chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, Malam Nura Abdullahi, made the accusation in a press conference in Jos, Thursday evening on the recent killings in the State.
He expressed dismayed over the killings and beheading of six (6) innocent Fulani cattle rearers on Sunday October 15, 2017 by the Irigwe militia in Kuri village of Bassa local government area of the state.
He expressed concern over the unfortunate incident for a section of the media not reporting the killings of their people, but alleged that it was headers that did attack and killed the Irigwe people, even when no arrest was made.
“We also observed the unbalanced reporting of the incident by the media, where they neglected and refused to interview or contact the Fulani community to capture the killings of the six (6) deceased, 40 sheep and 9 cows machete to dead and the 232 rustled cows by the Irigwe militia,” he alleged.
He said the unfortunate incident was immediately reported to the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Bassa local government area and Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), Sector 6, who visited the scene and confirmed the dead and burial.
“MACBAN Plateau State chapter wholeheartedly condemned the killings of all innocent lives, destruction of properties and rustling of Fulani cows,” he lamented.
According to him, the headers were peace loving people, calling on Plateau State government and security operatives to investigate, fetch out the killers and take necessary action that would stop future re-occurrence.
Meanwhile, the Plateau State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Tyopev Terna, told journalists that; “The police headquarters has donated a helicopter to carry out air surveillance in the area.
“I want to first of all sympathize with the people of Bassa local government area, they lost so many of their loved ones. I don’t want to be particular about what Meyyity Allah said and their lost. You know when so many lives are lost, it arose so many passion so I wouldn’t want to dwell so much on what they are claiming that has happened.”
“I have received a signal from the Police divisional officer, that people were killed at a village, 27 of them were killed and were buried in accordance with the Irigwe tradition and Islamic religion. while people lost their lives, in there I wouldn’t want to emphasise on the lost,” Tyopev said.
He explained that the Police Commissioner had posted three units of Mobile Police force to intensify patrol and to make sure that attacks on the area were not carried out.
The PPRO said that there was an attempt of attack on a community closed to the one that was attack previously, but was repelled due to prompt response by the police, assuring the members of the public to go about their normal business.
He stressed that investigation was ongoing to make sure that the perpetrators of the act were brought to book.
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