Fulani cattle traders in Oyo State have been called upon to caution their children against using the cattle markets across the State for selling of stolen livestock.
The State President, Association of Livestock Dealers of Nigeria, Hon. Ashirudeen Abd-Rasaq said this on Sunday at the Chieftaincy and Award Ceremony organized by the Iseyin local government chapter of the association.
The event, which held at the Aseyin palace at Iseyin was witnessed by leadership of all political parties in the community, traders union and youths bodies.
Abd-Rasaq, while presenting his address, called on security agencies to beam their searchlights on major cattle markets to unravel cases of cattle rustling and stealing of livestock from households and livestock farms.
He explained that most Fulani youths engaged in selling and buying of livestock, without knowing the source of the animals and according to him, rustled cattle and other livestock were taken to the cattle market for sale.
The body also accused the State government of neglecting them despite that their members pay over five million naira as tax on over ten thousand goats daily.
“We want people to be careful about where they buy their livestock, many of the people that sell livestock at the market are not part of us, in the old, each household of livestock traders was well known in each area, especially for people that wanted to sell or buy goats, this made the work easy and the traders and individual owners that owned the goats had peace of mind about the safety of their animals.
“It is not like today when those that did not learn the trade now engage in its selling in abnormal way, unfortunately when people’s goats and other animals get lost, owners would rather come to us to look for them, therefore, we want these people to either join us and work legitimately or stay away from the trade and stop tarnishing our image.
“Most especially, we are using this medium to call on the Fulani Bororo and Hausa people to speak with their wayward children who always waylay those that want to sell their livestock at the Friday market at the Kilometer two in Iseyin, it is not their trade and it is the only way today that goat thieves are making use of to sell their stolen animals.
“We want the government and security agencies to note this and work towards putting a stop to it, those genuinely engaged in the trade, especially our old women who sell and buy livestock, including birds, are not allowed to do their jobs anymore and we have taken this issue to the State government, they promised to work on it.
“Although we agreed that they should work on that, but we have asked our members across the State to stop paying the tax of five hundred naira for each goat because of the neglect we suffer.
“If we can be paying 5million naira daily on over ten thousand goats, do we not deserve the attention of government like all other sectors? Go across the whole of Oyo State, nothing has been done for our members, we also need to feel that we are members of the public upon which government presides and collect tax.”
The programme included presentation of chieftaincy titles and awards to dignitaries like the National President of Iseyin Development Union (I.D.U), Alhaji Bayo Raji, the former State Chairman of Mitetti Allah, Alhaji Seriki Yakubu and the Iyaloja of Iseyin local government, Alhaja Nimotallahi Wahab, among others.
Pa Lasisi Sulaimon was installed as the ‘Babaloja Eleran’so’ of Iseyin local government while Madam Tijani Ramotallahi became the ‘Otun Iyaloja Eleran’so’ of Iseyin and Alhaja Balikis Iyabode was installed as the ‘Iyaloja Eleran’so’ of Iseyin local government.
