Fulani threaten to sue defence spokesman over claims

    
The Umbrella body of Fulani herdsmen in Kaduna State, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, on Monday said it would soon sue the Director of Defence Information, Major-Gen Chris Olukolade, over a purported destruction of ‘militant camp’ at Ladugga Community , a Fulani settlement in Kachia Local Government Area of the state.

It asked the Defence spokesman to avail Nigerians the truth of a purported destruction of  so-called ‘militant camp’ in the area, noting that what happened in the community was a clear violation of the rights of the people of the area in the name of fighting terrorism.

According to the association, the military only invaded the area in the name of fighting terrorism and at the end left tales of woes in the community.

Soldiers from the 1 Mechanized Division of the Nigerian Army, Kaduna,  had penultimate Sunday invaded the Fulani settlement in Kachia and arrested 19 youths including the Village Head of Ladugga.

Chairman, Media Committee of the association in the state, Alhaji Ibrahim Bayero, in a statement on Monday, insisted that the Defence spokesman was being economical with the truth.

“What actually happened was not the destruction of any imagined or fictitious “militants camps”, but rather the molestation of innocent, peaceful and law-abiding people in their community over spurious, unfounded and baseless allegation, imagination or speculation as well as the dehumanisation of the people,” it said.


The association noted that soon, it would challenge the purported claim in court and asked the military to televise the destroyed ‘militant camp’ in the area.

The association said,  “We wish to ask here, where are the televised or pictorial snippets of the destroyed “militants camps” that Major General Olukolade claimed? We know pictures don’t lie. What facts, reasons or evidences do or did the soldiers have to support their claim that there are or there were ‘militants in Ladduga’?”