Kaduna – The President, National Tranquillity Movement, Alhaji Mohammad Gashash, on Thursday solicited the support of Nigerians affected by cattle rustling, to ensure the success of the current efforts to end the menace.
Gashash, a youth leader, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna that current efforts by the governments of Kaduna, Niger, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara had started yielding results.
According to him, Fulani herdsmen in the affected states have lost thousands of cattle to the rustlers while a lot of them have been killed in the last eight years.
Gashash noted that governments in the past had not particularly made it a priority to tackle cattle rustling and other crimes especially around the Birnin Gwari axis, thereby allowing the problem to persist.
“Fulani are been killed and their properties are carted away. This thing has been happening for the past eight years.
“Thousand of cows have been stolen from them, many of them have been killed in the course of taking away their cattle,” he said.
Gashash said residents must support current efforts to end cattle rustling which remained a serious security challenge in the five states.
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“The operation that took place to flush the criminals in the bush and mountain ranges linking Kaduna with Sokoto, Niger, Katsina, Kebbi, Zamfara has yielded positive result.
“The government has taken the matter of addressing cattle rustling and armed robbery seriously and has led to the recovery of 2,000 cows in four days only,” he said.
According to Gashash, the operation also led to the arrest of over 50 suspects currently facing trial.
He urged the government and the judiciary not to shield anybody involved in the atrocities, adding that those arraigned must be properly punished if found guilty. (NAN)