The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, on Monday, criticised Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State over the enactment of a law banning open grazing.

The body said it was not interested in exchanging words, but to see an end to the senseless killing of innocent people.

The National Secretary of MACBAN, Baba Othman Ngelzarma, said this in an interview in Abuja in response to the accusation by Ortom’s Chief Secretary, Terver Akase, that it was fuelling crises over the law.

But Ngelzarma said the doors of MACBAN “will remain open for constructive discussions to find lasting solutions that will bring to an end all these uncivilised behaviours.”

He said, “We are not interested in the exchange of unnecessary comments that will not do anybody any good. As a responsible association, we want to see an end to this senseless killing of innocent people. We, as an association, respect all constituted authorities and believe in law and order and hold all state governors in high esteem as chief security officers of their states.

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“We also believe that the Benue State governor has sworn to protect the lives and economic well-being of all his citizens, irrespective of their socioeconomic/ethno-religious backgrounds.

“The law only ends up suffocating both farmers and herders to make them bankrupt. Ortom, as a deeply religious person, knows very well that one day he will be called to account by the Almighty for how he manages his state during his tenure as governor.

“MACBAN is never in any doubt about the position of governors being the controllers of state security and land and the Houses of Assembly being responsible for making laws. But all we desire is justice, equality and fairness in the discharge of their constitutional responsibilities.”

He added, “Our doors will remain open for constructive discussions to find lasting solutions that will bring to an end all this uncivilised behaviours.”