Miyetti Allah Drags Ortom to ICC for Seizing 25,000 Cows

John Shiklam in Kaduna

The Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore at the weekend disclosed that it had filed a suit against Benue State Governor, Mr. Samuel Ortom before the International Criminal Court of Justice (ICC), Hague for allegedly seizing 25,000 cows belonging to its members.

Miyetti Allah, a Fulani socio-cultural group, wanted the ICC to intervene in the detention of 4,000 Fulani herdsmen, who violated the Benue State Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law, 2017.

The National Secretary-General of Miyetti Allah, Mr Saleh Alhassan revealed the decision at the weekend at a session with journalists on Friday.

After inaugurating the state’s Community Volunteer Guards, Ortom had said he had secured the conviction of over 400 Fulani herders ‘besieging’ the state.

He said Miyetti Allah had approached the ICC to file a suit against Ortom for seizing over 25,000 cows belonging to members of the group and detaining over 4,000 herders.

The governor said: “We have secured the conviction of over 400 Fulani herders, who have besieged the state. We have seized over 25,000 cows.

“We released some of the cows to the owners who paid fines and auctioned the cattle of those who did not pay because that is what the law says to ensure that we protect our lands.”

Reacting to this development, Alhassan said Ortom was known for always “abducting and keeping” cows belonging to Fulani herders.

“Ortom would go to Benue and Taraba states border communities and seize cows, making our members suffer. We don’t have herders in Benue. So, the livestock that he seized shows that he is part of the problem.