MACBAN denies links to criminality, expresses shock over proposed US sanctions

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria has expressed surprise over the proposed sanctions against the association by the US lawmakers, insisting that the group is peaceful and law-abiding. Baba Othman Ngelzarma is the National President of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN). In this interview, he said there is no justification for the US Congress to contemplate designating herders’ umbrella body as a terrorist organisation after interfacing with them at the US Embassy in Nigeria and asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to protect his members from existential threat.

The U.S. Congress plans to designate your association as a terrorist organisation. How did you receive this?

We received it with the greatest shock because we don’t know what the association has done to deserve such a sanction because this is an association that was established 42 years ago as a non-violent and non-religious association which is a producer association that is created to protect the interests of cattle breeders irrespective of their religion and tribal affiliation. It’s a trade group that is established for the purpose of protecting the interests of cattle breeders in the country.

And it is the only pastoralist democratic group we have, democratic pastoralist group we have in the country because the leadership of this association comes through election. And this is an association that is not armed in anyway. This is an association that has never taken responsibility for any crime, that has never supported any criminality. It is not cooperating with any group of criminals.

In fact, the association even cooperates with the security agencies to fight crime and to search out criminals wherever they are. As a result of this, many leaders of the association have lost their lives. So, we are really surprised that this association is still being considered for sanction. We don’t know for what reason; we are not a faceless group. We have offices in all the 36 states and local governments. We operate with the Nigerian government. We operate within the ambit of the law. We work with the government at the state, local government and the federal levels. We work with all security agencies.

We even work with a lot of international communities in our effort to broker peace between farmers and herders. So we are really surprised. Our activities are very clear.

Our books are open for everybody to come and check. We have never gotten involved in any criminality. We have never been punished or taken to any court for any criminality, even within the country.

Have you made any effort to make your case, especially to international community, to explain that indeed you have also suffered monumental losses?

We did. When the report first came in November, we compiled a report and submitted it to the American Ambassador for onward resolution to the Congress. We have developed a comprehensive report showing that our members are also victims of the crisis, with lists of those who have been killed, with dates and locations, and with pictures. We have gone to the extent of even including letters of our activities with international communities, government and its agencies.

We have made a comprehensive submission to the American Ambassador for onwards Resolution to the U.S. Congress.

Did you receive acknowledgement or reply to your reports?

We received acknowledgement, but we did not receive any reply. Even the contingent who came last time met with us; the American contingent who came for this purpose, met with us at the American Embassy.

They came with that same report that we have sent. So, we thought this thing was receiving positive attention. All of a sudden, we saw yesterday, another report planning to sanction us as a criminal group. We are not a criminal group.

What do you think will happen if this plan is actualised and what is your call to the federal government?

Our call to the federal government will remain for it to protect us as citizens, because the federal government knows this association. The federal government and subsequent governments of Nigeria have been working with this association in so many ways. We are not a faceless group. We are always open. Our offices are everywhere. So, our call to the federal government is for it to present our case the way it is, so that the American Congress can understand and reverse this decision. That is because this decision, as it is now, is very dangerous for the association and its membership in general.

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