Another national service as Air Peace boss broker’s peace for Benue, Miyetti Allah
…As Miyetti Allah apologizes for Benue killings
It was the height of amazement weekend in Markurdi, the Benue State capital and tears of joy for return of real peace following the selfless reconciliation efforts powered by the Anambra State-born chairman of Air Peace Airline, Chief Allen Onyema between Benue State and Miyetti Allah group.
Business Hilights Intelligence Unit (BHIU) gathered that whereas many Nigerians were thanking Air Peace boss for airlifting stranded Nigerians free from Xenophobic South Africa last month, little did anybody know that Air Peace founder is working on a peace process in Benue State with killer herdsmen after all.
While celebrating the new lease of peaceful co-habitation in Markurdi, the Fulani Socio-cultural organization, Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore (MALH), apologized to Governor Samuel Ortom over herdsmen attacks and killings in the state in the last few years.
National Secretary of the association, Engr. Saleh Alhassan, who spoke at the reconciliation meeting in Makurdi, expressed regrets of the herder group over the Benue killings and pledged to ensure peaceful coexistence between herdsmen and farmers moving forward.
He described Governor Ortom as a peace-loving man who stood firmly for the emancipation of his people and gave a clear assurance that members of the group would embrace the peace initiatives put forward by the Governor going forward.
In his response, elated Governor Ortom thanked Chief Onyema for driving the peace process at his cost and noted that the enactment of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law by Benue State Government was to end the killing of innocent people and encourage ranching as the global best practice of animal husbandry.
According to him, “any person or ethnic group wishing to rear livestock in the state was free to come, acquire land and ranch according to provisions of the ranching law of the state.”
“The Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law protects both farmers and livestock owners, adding that legislation was not meant to promote crisis of any kind.
In his emotion-laden address, Chief Onyeama emphasised the need for peaceful coexistence between farmers and herders in Benue State, saying he personally brought Alhaji Saleh to broker peace between Miyetti Allah groups and the people of the state for Nigeria to keep growing from strength to strength.
