The menace of cattle rustlers has assumed a violent and worrisome dimension in the country, with the attendant cases of rape, murder and destruction of farmlands in some parts of the country. Parts of Delta, Edo , many south eastern states and the Northern region have suffered untold pang of pain and trauma from suspected rustlers, with their women attacked while going to farms.
The rich, particularly owners of herds of cows are not exempted from the cruel and ruthless treatments of rustlers, as some of them have been stripped of cows which took them several years to rear. Sometimes, cattle rearers were killed in an attempt to resist these cattle thieves, while others who managed to escape death by the whiskers have indelible scars to show for their bravery.
Investigation by Crime Guard revealed that sometimes, these implacable rustlers who are usually armed, hide under the cover of the dark to invade grazing sites. Their modus oparadi includes burning these sites, thereby leaving no option for the cows than to run into the waiting hands of the invaders, while attempting to escape from the fire. At such times, some cattle rearers or owners of farmlands who attempt to put up struggle end up being killed or maimed.
IGP to the rescue
Determined to checkmate their excesses, the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase set up a Special Intelligence Response Team (SIRT) with a charge to also curb high profile criminal cases in the country, among other responsibilities. Living up to its expectation, the team recently arrested five suspected cattle rustlers alleged to have been responsible for several attacks on grazing sites in the Northern region. Recovered from the suspects identified as Salisu Shehu, Abubakar Bello, Hassan Ahmadu, Lawal Amodu and Adamu Mohammed, were six AK47 rifles, some magazines and cartridges. The suspects were reportedly arrested in their respective hideouts inside the bush in Benue and Kogi states.
Some cows suspected to have been stolen were reportedly recovered from them. Some of the recovered cows included those stolen form a veterinary doctor four months ago. The armed rustlers, as gathered, invaded the veterinary doctor’s grazing site at about 11pm and made away with 86 cows worth N18 million. The devastated victim and owner of Valerie Farm (names withheld) lamented that the gang brought him to level zero with the invasion of his farmland.
According to him, “Sometime in August 2015, at about 11pm, ten men armed to the teeth, invaded my grazing site in Kogi state. They stole all my cows, 86 in number. 50 of them were pregnant.
“I am a veterinary doctor but decided not to look for white collar job. Instead, I built a cattle farm where I was rearing close to 100 cows. I went through thick and thin to to rear the cows to the state they were when the robbers visited unannounced. They have rendered me useless”, he lamented, adding that the Police were however able to recover some of the stolen cows.
How we operate
In this interview with Crime Guard, the suspects disclosed that after each successful operation, stolen cattle were taken to forests in Kogi State, where their armed members usually kept watch over them. They also stated that sometimes, sick cows among the stolen ones were killed and sold to ready buyers while the rest would be shared among the gang members.
One o f them, Abubakar Bello, who claimed to be leader of the gang, said, “Yes, we usually steal cows in Abuja, Korodu in Karu, Kogi, Benue and Nasarawa states. We are six in number. I can’t state the exact number of cows we have stolen so far. But whenever we stole cows, we would take them into the bush, where we would share them. Thereafter, each of us would hand over our shares to cattle rearers in bushes in Kogi and Benue states. We do not immediately take the stolen cows to the market to sell. This is because cow owners have an association.
Immediately their cows are stolen, they would contact their members at various markets and abattoirs, who would be on the look out for the stolen cows. Besides, each owner has a peculiar mark on his cows for easy identification among other cows. Most times, stolen cows spend one year or more in the bush before we would bring them out for sale. By then, the owners would have forgotten about them and even when they see them, they won’t be able to recognise them. Sometimes, I got 20 cows at the end of an operation. So far, I have made over half a million naira since I joined the gang.”
Use of charm
“We usually used charms to put cattle rearers to sleep anytime we went for operation. They would not wake up until the cows reached the destination we were taking them to. “After putting them to sleep, we would also charm the cows to obey our voice, by following us. This is because each rearer has a particular way of taming his cow to obey him. Such cows don’t hearken to the voice of any stranger. But with the charm, they would willingly obey us.
But sometimes, cattle rearers also go with charms that could counter ours. As such time, it would result in gun battle because they are also armed. “Our hideouts are located far inside the bush in Kogi and Benue state and those manning the stolen cows are armed. If any intruder gets there, he would be killed. There are about 5000 cows in that bush. The watchmen usually hide on trees and strategic places in the bush, while on the look out for intruders.
“I joined the gang in revenge”
Another suspected member of the gang, Salisu Shehu, said he joined the gang in January 2015, in retaliation. He stated that his father gave him 50 cows as parting gift, when he got married, a means he said was the family’s survival. All, according to him, was going on well until some rustlers stormed his farm land in Zaria, December 2013, and stole all his cows! Rather than sympathise with him, Shehu said his father blamed him for his woes and vowed never to assist him again.
While bemoaning his fate, he siad “I met one Alhaji who said I could retaliate by stealing other people’s cows. He said he would buy them at cheaper rate from me. Thereafter, he introduced me to Bello (pointing to one of his suspected partners-in-crime). I joined the gang to make up for what was stolen from me. I had the intention of going into another business immediately I realised all that was stolen. But I had not made up to the target before we were arrested.
“I only made between N100,000 and N200,000 in each operation. I also have some cows in our hideout. Unfortunately, I may loose them if I am sent to jail.” The suspects, according to the officer in charge of SIRT, Mr Abba Kyari, would be charged to court.
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