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‘We Don’t Sponsor Violence’ – Miyetti Allah Reacts To US Sanction, Denies Attacks On Christians
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has denied allegations linking it to attacks on Christians in Nigeria, insisting that its primary mission is to protect the interests of herders across the country.
The association’s National President, Baba Othman Ngenzarma, made the clarification in an interview with BBC Hausa, where he described the group as inclusive and not driven by religious or ethnic bias.
Responding to allegations of religiously motivated violence, Baba Othman said MACBAN accommodates members from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds.
“In our organization, there is no religion or ethnic group that is excluded. We have Hausas, Yorubas, Igbos, and followers of both Islam and Christianity,” he said.
He maintained that the association should not be portrayed as a sectarian body, stressing that it represents herders irrespective of tribe or faith.
Last month, the United States (US) reportedly listed MACBAN among organisations under review for possible sanctions over alleged involvement in attacks on Christians.
But Baba Othman expressed surprise at the development.
“We do not carry weapons, and we have never sponsored any attacks. The government has never charged us with any crime,” he stated.
US lawmakers Riley Moore and Chris Smith had presented a resolution referencing a committee report, which stated that Christians in Nigeria “have long been subjected to discrimination and violence.”
The resolution reportedly urged sanctions on MACBAN, other groups, and some Nigerians, including travel bans and asset freezes.
Baba Othman argued that the actions of a few individuals should not be used to judge the entire association.
“You may find wrongdoers among police officers or soldiers, but that does not mean the whole institution is corrupt,” he said.
He added that MACBAN is only one of several herders’ associations in Nigeria and that not all herders or Fulani belong to the group.
The MACBAN president also disclosed that the association works closely with Nigerian security agencies and foreign missions, providing information to demonstrate its cooperation in addressing security challenges.
“We shared detailed information on members killed due to security challenges, including names, dates, and photos,” he said.
On the root causes of herder-related clashes in Nigeria, Baba Othman insisted that the conflicts are largely driven by land disputes rather than religious or ethnic animosity.
“Disputes arise over land use, not faith or tribe,” he said, attributing the tensions to desertification and increasing competition for farmland.
He maintained that environmental pressures and shrinking grazing routes have intensified disputes between herders and farming communities, urging stakeholders to address the underlying causes rather than frame the crisis along religious lines.
The Edo State Government has described former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, as a destabilizing figure in the state’s political space, alleging that crises often trail his political engagements.
Speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television on Wednesday, Commissioner for Information in Edo State, Kassim Afegbua, said Obi’s political history reflects a pattern of internal party crises.
Afegbua made the remarks while responding to discussions surrounding an alleged assassination attempt on the life of Peter Obi.
According to him, Obi’s previous visits to Edo State were followed by political unrest.
He further alleged that the crisis within the Labour Party during Obi’s membership was not resolved before his reported alignment with the African Democratic Congress, ADC.
News
Gospel Singer, Yinka Ayefele Finally Reacts After Being Accused Of Copyright Infringement By Beautiful Nubia
Yinka Ayefele, the Nigerian Gospel singer, has addressed allegations by fellow artiste Beautiful Nubia accusing him of copying a song melody.
The dispute centers on the ownership of a composition that both musicians have performed.
Ayefele addressed the matter on his verified Facebook account, questioning the origin of the song and raising doubts about the claim.
In the post, he wrote, “WHO IS THE COMPOSER OF EBAMI GBONDO YI GBE ..JANGBALAJUGBU …. Who was acknowledged.. INFRINGEMENT AYE..”
The controversy follows Beautiful Nubia’s recent statement on Twitter, where he accused Ayefele and another gospel musician, BBO, of using parts of his song without proper credit.
Nubia pointed out that Ayefele’s 2012 song, My Faith in God (Igbagbo Ireti), and BBO’s 2026 single, Amin, resemble his earlier composition Seven lives.
He expressed concern about a trend in the Nigerian gospel music scene of borrowing melodies without acknowledging the original creators.
He wrote: “There was Yinka Ayefele with My Faith in God (Igbagbo Ireti) in 2012 and now someone called BBO with ‘Amin’ this year. Both stole their melodies from our original song ‘Seven Lifes’. When will Nigerians (especially the so-called gospel musicians) learn to respect copyright?”
Ayefele’s My Faith in God is listed as a track on his Goodness of God release dated December 9, 2012.
A United States district court has sentenced Paulinus Iheanacho Okoronkwo, a former general manager at Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (now NNPC Limited), to 87 months in prison for receiving a $2.1 million bribe linked to oil drilling rights in Nigeria.
Okoronkwo, 58, a dual citizen of Nigeria and the United States of America, was convicted over a payment made by Addax Petroleum, a subsidiary of China’s state-owned energy giant, Sinopec.
In a statement issued on the website of the US Department of Justice, the United States government on Monday, February 23, said the trial judge, John F. Walter, also ordered Okoronkwo to pay $923,824 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service and to forfeit assets traced to the proceeds of the crime.
The statement said: “Paulinus Iheanacho Okoronkwo, 58, a.k.a. ‘Pollie,’ of Rancho Cucamonga, was sentenced by United States District Judge John F. Walter, who also ordered him to pay $923,824 in restitution to the IRS and ordered that Okoronkwo forfeit $1,039,997, the net proceeds of the sale of a home involved in the laundering of the bribe money.”
It added that “at the conclusion of a four-day trial, a jury in August 2025 found Okoronkwo guilty of three counts of transactional money laundering, one count of tax evasion, and one count of obstruction of justice.”
According to prosecutors, Okoronkwo abused his position while serving as general manager in the upstream division of Nigeria’s national oil company by accepting a $2.1 million payment from Addax Petroleum.
The money, prosecutors said, was wired in October 2015 into the trust account of Okoronkwo’s law firm in Los Angeles and was falsely presented as payment for consultancy services.
Investigators, however, said the transfer was in fact a bribe intended to secure favorable drilling rights in Nigeria.
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