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MACBAN Rejects Terrorism Allegations, Warns Against Stigmatisation

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Tension Rises as Fulani Herders Reportedly Leave Southern Communities

MACBAN Rejects Terrorism Allegations, Warns Against Stigmatisation

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has firmly rejected allegations linking the association to terrorism, banditry, and mass violence, describing such claims as unfounded, misleading, and damaging to its reputation and the livelihoods of millions of pastoralists across Nigeria.

The National President of MACBAN, Baba Othman Ngelzarma, stated this on Sunday while addressing journalists in reaction to ongoing discussions surrounding a proposed United States legislation, H.R. 7457, currently before the United States Congress.

Ngelzarma said while MACBAN respects the sovereign right of the United States to debate issues relating to religious freedom and human rights, the association is deeply concerned about narratives that allegedly portray it as a violent or extremist organisation. He warned that such portrayals risk misinforming international policymakers and undermining peace-building efforts within Nigeria.

He stressed that MACBAN is a legally registered association, established in 1986 under Nigerian law, and has operated openly for decades with elected leadership structures at national, state, and local levels. According to him, the association is formally recognised by federal and state governments as a critical stakeholder in livestock development, pastoral welfare, and farmer–herder conflict mediation.

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The association cautioned that any attempt to blacklist, stigmatise, or criminalise legitimate organisations could lead to serious consequences, including economic losses, disruption of livestock trade, and further marginalisation of pastoral communities, which play a vital role in Nigeria’s food security and rural economy.

Reiterating its mandate, MACBAN said its activities are focused on improving pastoral welfare, promoting modern and sustainable livestock practices, fostering peaceful coexistence with host communities, and supporting security agencies through dialogue and early-warning mechanisms aimed at preventing conflict.

Ngelzarma emphasised that MACBAN has never supported banditry, terrorism, kidnapping, or cattle rustling, noting that no court in Nigeria or abroad has ever indicted the association for involvement in terrorist activities. He argued that it is unjust and legally flawed to attribute the criminal actions of individuals to a registered national organisation.

The association also highlighted that pastoralists themselves have been major victims of insecurity, citing repeated attacks by armed groups and bandits that have resulted in displacement, cattle rustling, and loss of lives. It disclosed that at least eight MACBAN state leaders were killed in 2025 by criminal elements in different parts of the country.

According to MACBAN, the association has consistently collaborated with security agencies through intelligence sharing, community mediation, and participation in technical committees on grazing reforms, ranching initiatives, and livestock identification systems, including efforts to curb cattle rustling and illegal arms movement.

The group called on the Senate Committees on Foreign Affairs and National Security to adopt a formal resolution clarifying Nigeria’s legislative position on what it described as misleading international narratives. It also urged the National Assembly to engage U.S. lawmakers through parliamentary diplomacy to ensure accurate representation of Nigeria’s internal dynamics.

MACBAN further appealed to the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the National Security Adviser to initiate diplomatic engagement with American authorities, with a view to presenting documented evidence of its lawful status and compliance with Nigerian laws.

While cautioning against generalised profiling of communities, the association urged both local and international media to avoid sensational reporting that could inflame tensions and deepen mistrust between communities.

Reaffirming its commitment to national unity, peace, and lawful engagement, MACBAN maintained that accountability must remain evidence-based, warning that international actions founded on misinformation could undermine legitimate Nigerian institutions and complicate efforts to address insecurity.

MACBAN Rejects Terrorism Allegations, Warns Against Stigmatisation

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‘We’ll Marry Beautiful Ones, Kill the Rest’ – Terrorists Reject N155m Ransom for 176 Kwara Captives

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July 31, 2026

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'We'll Marry Beautiful Ones, Kill the Rest' – Terrorists Reject N155m Ransom for 176 Kwara Captives
Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu

‘We’ll Marry Beautiful Ones, Kill the Rest’ – Terrorists Reject N155m Ransom for 176 Kwara Captives

Nearly six months after 176 residents were abducted from Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, families of the captives have made a desperate appeal to the Federal Government, the Kwara State Government, and security agencies to intensify rescue efforts. The families alleged that terrorists rejected more than N155 million raised by the affected communities as ransom and have threatened to force some female captives into marriage while executing the remaining hostages. The attack occurred on February 3, 2026, when more than 100 heavily armed assailants launched a coordinated assault on the rural communities, leaving over 260 people dead, more than 30 houses burnt, and 176 residents abducted. The victims, most of whom are women, children, and nursing mothers, have remained in captivity despite months of negotiations and community efforts.

Speaking on behalf of the affected families, Dr. Abdul Ibrahim told BBC Hausa that community leaders and residents contributed more than N155 million through community donations, personal savings, and the sale of valuables in a desperate bid to secure the release of the captives. However, the terrorists allegedly refused to accept the money, leaving hundreds of families uncertain about the fate of their relatives. “We raised N155 million and took it to them, but they refused to accept it, saying it was not enough. We returned with the money and have not heard from our relatives since. We appeal to the Federal Government and the Kwara State Government to rescue them because there is nothing more we can do,” Ibrahim said. Ibrahim, who said he lost 10 relatives and still has 35 family members in captivity, added that repeated attempts to secure the release of the abductees through negotiations and public demonstrations had yielded no results. According to him, the kidnappers stated that the victims are from Kwara and Niger States and insisted that both governments should pool resources together. He alleged that the terrorists do not even want to talk to the families and have insisted on engaging only with government authorities.

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Fresh concerns emerged that the abductors had allegedly threatened to marry the “beautiful” female captives while executing the remaining hostages if their demands were not met. Speaking in an interview monitored on the BBC Hausa Service, Ibrahim said the threat had deepened fears among relatives. “They said they would marry the beautiful ones and kill the rest,” Ibrahim said, adding that the terrorists had refused to soften their position despite months of negotiations. The Dan Sardaukin Kaiama, Suleiman Bukata, urged the Federal Government and security agencies to replicate the operation that recently secured the rescue of abductees in neighbouring Oyo State by extending similar efforts to Kaiama. Bukata said the successful rescue in Oyo had rekindled hope among families in Kaiama, stressing that the people deserved the same level of commitment from the authorities. “No Nigerian community should be left to face this kind of tragedy alone. If people could be rescued elsewhere, our people should not be forgotten,” he said.

However, there are conflicting accounts regarding the ransom payment. The National President of the Kaiama Development Association (KDA) stated that “No payment has been made, although negotiation is still ongoing.” For his part, the Village Head, Alhaji Salihu Umar Bio, confirmed the efforts of the community towards the donation but said the terrorists have insisted on engaging only with the government since the incident occurred on February 3, 2026. The lawmaker representing the area in the Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon. Sa’idu Baba Ahmed, also appealed to the Federal Government to intensify efforts to rescue the captives, saying the prolonged wait had increased the suffering of the affected families.

The attack on Woro and neighbouring Nuku communities was reportedly triggered after residents rejected attempts by the armed group to establish an extremist religious presence in the area. Survivors said the attackers, dressed in military-style uniforms and riding motorcycles, killed scores of residents, burnt homes and abducted dozens before fleeing. The incident underscores the growing insecurity in parts of North-Central Nigeria, where armed groups have increasingly carried out mass killings, kidnappings for ransom, and attacks on rural communities, despite ongoing security operations. Over 2,700 people were initially displaced following the February 3 attack, with many remaining in temporary shelters in neighbouring communities.

‘We’ll Marry Beautiful Ones, Kill the Rest’ – Terrorists Reject N155m Ransom for 176 Kwara Captives

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42 Cows Die Mysteriously in FCT Community, Herder Collapses in Shock

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July 31, 2026

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42 Cows Die Mysteriously in FCT Community, Herder Collapses in Shock

42 Cows Die Mysteriously in FCT Community, Herder Collapses in Shock

A 41-year-old cattle herder, Musa Lawal, reportedly collapsed and was hospitalised after discovering that 42 of his cows had died under mysterious circumstances in the Koroko community of Kwali Area Council, Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The incident has prompted an investigation by security agencies amid fears that the animals may have grazed on chemically contaminated vegetation. The FCT Treasurer of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Yahuza Ibrahim, confirmed the incident to reporters on Thursday, explaining that the tragedy occurred on Tuesday at about 6:12 pm when two of Lawal’s sons took the cattle out to graze. According to Ibrahim, the animals were later found dead at different locations in the bush, raising suspicions that they may have consumed grass contaminated with chemicals. “Immediately we received the report, I alerted the MACBAN chairman, who directed me to proceed to the scene. We discovered that 42 cows had died. We suspect they may have eaten grass that had been sprayed with chemicals,” Ibrahim said.

Upon receiving news of the incident, Lawal rushed to the grazing area but collapsed after discovering the extent of his loss. He was immediately taken to the General Hospital in Kwali, where he was admitted and treated for shock before being discharged on Wednesday. The chairman of Kwali Area Council, Hon. Nuhu Daniel Kwali, accompanied by Fulani community leaders, later visited the family to sympathise with them over the loss. Confirming the incident, the council chairman described it as shocking and unfortunate. He stated that the council had directed relevant security agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security operatives, to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the exact cause of the cattle deaths. The chairman also noted that the council was considering measures to support the affected herder and prevent any potential breakdown of peace between farmers and herders in the area.

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The incident highlights the ongoing tensions in the FCT, where a chronic lack of grazing reserves has forced herders to use areas that may expose their cattle to risks, including farms that could be treated with chemicals. According to the MACBAN secretary in the FCT, Alhaji Ibrahim Ciroma, the lack of grazing land has led to crises between farmers and herders in some parts of the territory. He noted that farmers have taken over the only available grazing reserves in Kawu, Rubochi and Paiko-Kore, and that the government has not compensated the farmers to allow herders to use the land for grazing. Herders in several communities across the FCT often have to move their cows to the tops of hills to graze, but even these hills are being used by farmers to plant crops.

This incident comes amid broader farmer-herder tensions in the FCT. In April 2026, one person was killed and another severely injured in a farmers-herders clash in Fogbe village, Kwali Area Council, after herders allegedly invaded the village over claims that two of their cattle died from suspected food poisoning while grazing near the community. In September 2025, the body of a herder was found in a fadama (lowland farm) in Riwaza, near the Fogbe community in Kwali Area Council, after he went missing following a grazing trip. A study on conflict dynamics between farmers and herders in the FCT identified competition for land and water, inadequate grazing reserves, cattle rustling, and mutual distrust as key causative factors.

42 Cows Die Mysteriously in FCT Community, Herder Collapses in Shock

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No Ransom, No Negotiation: President Reveals Intelligence Behind Oriire School Rescue

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July 31, 2026

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139 Million Nigerians in Poverty Despite Three Years of Tinubu's Reforms – World Bank
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

No Ransom, No Negotiation: President Reveals Intelligence Behind Oriire School Rescue

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has publicly revealed the intelligence-driven strategy behind the successful rescue of 46 schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, confirming that security forces tracked and arrested the families of the kidnappers to pressure the terrorists into releasing their captives—without paying ransom or negotiating with criminals. The President made the disclosure on Thursday while receiving a delegation of traditional rulers from Oyo State, led by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The visit was a thank-you mission to appreciate the Federal Government and the Armed Forces for securing the release of the victims after they spent 56 days in captivity.

Speaking publicly for the first time since the victims were rescued on July 10, Tinubu said the kidnappers presented two conditions for the release of the hostages: a demand for money and the release of detained members of their criminal gang who were already in custody. The Federal Government rejected both demands outright. “We refuse to negotiate for ransom. These criminals wanted us to release from detention members of their criminal gangs that were already arrested. That was one of their conditions, outside of the money they were looking for. And we said no deal. We are not going to negotiate with criminals. They committed murder, and we were ready to finish with their families, members of their own communities. They grew up somewhere,” the President stated. He emphasised that the government’s refusal to negotiate was aided by the military’s detailed knowledge of the forest terrain where the kidnappers were holed up. “We refused to pay ransom. We have the geography of the forest. We know what it is, and in answer to it, you’ve seen that from eight divisions, we are now moving to 12 divisions, to shorten the response time and give that response time the teeth needed to defeat terrorism and banditry,” he said.

According to security sources, the operation was driven by intelligence that led operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) to track down and arrest several wives and children of the suspected kidnappers across different communities and cities nationwide. The family members were subsequently moved to Abuja, where they were interrogated in accordance with investigative procedures. Investigators believe the arrest of the terrorists’ family members reduced the likelihood that the abductors would harm the hostages, fearing possible consequences for their own relatives. Security sources further disclosed that video recordings of the interrogations were somehow leaked to the kidnappers, a development that reportedly unsettled the terrorists and made them more responsive to negotiations. “The kidnappers suddenly became more responsive. They abandoned their earlier hardline position and started making frequent contact instead of disappearing after making demands,” one source said. The terrorists thereafter proposed releasing the abducted schoolchildren and teachers in exchange for the freedom of their wives and guarantees of safe passage. However, security agencies rejected the proposal, insisting that the captives must first be released unconditionally. A source familiar with the operation disclosed that the final order to storm the camp was issued on Thursday night after fresh intelligence confirmed that the abducted schoolchildren and teachers were no longer being used as human shields. The assault was swift, well coordinated, and backed by overwhelming firepower, catching the terrorists off guard. During the operation, scores of terrorists were killed, while eight others were arrested.

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In a related development, the Department of State Services has arraigned five men accused of complicity in the May 15 kidnapping and the subsequent killing of two victims. The five alleged members of the Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (Ansaru) terrorist group were identified as Mahmud Muhammad (aka Abu Bara’a, Abbas Mukhtar); Abubakar Abbas (aka Isah Adam, Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri); Abdulrazak Umar (aka Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid); Yunusa Musa (aka Abu Yunusa Bin Musa); and Shamsu Adamu Sani (aka Abu Itisar). In count one of the charge, Muhammad and Abbas were accused of ordering their foot soldiers within Ansaru, including Umar, Musa and Sani, to kidnap and kill people across the country in the event of their arrest, in order to compel the government to accede to their demands. In count two, the DSS alleged that the May 15 kidnapping of pupils and teachers in Oriire and the killing of two of the victims were carried out in furtherance of that order. The five pleaded not guilty when each count on the charge sheet was read to them. Justice Salim Ibrahim granted the prosecution’s request to remand the defendants in DSS custody, ordering that they be given unhindered access to their lawyers and two members of their immediate families, and that they be accorded adequate medical attention. The case was adjourned till September 25 for the commencement of trial.

President Tinubu revealed that the lessons learned from the Oriire abduction prompted a review of the country’s security architecture, leading to his directive to expand the Nigerian Army from eight to 12 divisions. The expansion, which also includes the recruitment of 28,000 additional personnel, aims to shorten response time, decentralise operational decision-making, and strengthen border security and counter-insurgency operations. Under the new structure, the Army will operate 12 divisions strategically located across the country, with new divisions established in Makurdi (Benue State), Ilorin (Kwara State), Jalingo (Taraba State), and Benin City (Edo State). The implementation will be carried out in two phases, with the first phase expected to be completed by September 2026 and the second phase by December 2026. The President also announced plans to establish state police with safeguards against abuse and to enhance the capacity of forest guards to combat criminal elements operating in forests. “They are not just to chase antelopes and animals. We are going to have them chase the criminals and deal with them in various forests,” Tinubu said.

Oba Ladoja, speaking on behalf of the delegation, said the traditional rulers had confidence in the capability of Nigerian security agencies but remained apprehensive about the victims’ safe return. He expressed gratitude to the President and all stakeholders for their efforts in securing the rescue. The Olubadan also used the occasion to thank the Tinubu administration for ongoing and proposed federal road projects aimed at improving connectivity across Oyo State, including the dualisation of the Ibadan-Ijebu Ode Road, Ogbomoso-Ilorin Road, and the Badagry-Sokoto Highway passing through the Ibarapa and Oke-Ogun axis of the state.

The Oriire school attack occurred on May 15, 2026, when gunmen stormed three schools—Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School—in Esiele and Yawota communities of Oriire Local Government Area, abducting about 39 pupils and seven teachers. A mathematics teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was beheaded during the attack, and another teacher, Deacon John Olaleye, was later killed in captivity. The victims regained their freedom on July 10 after spending 56 days in captivity in an intelligence-led operation that resulted in the arrest of eight suspected kidnappers without the payment of ransom.

No Ransom, No Negotiation: President Reveals Intelligence Behind Oriire School Rescue

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