The Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders’ Association of Nigeria (MACBN) in Lere Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Abubakar Abdullahi, has been killed by gunmen.
The gunmen, it was learnt, stormed the home of Abdullahi, popularly known as Dambardi, in Lere town at about 1:00am on Friday, kidnapped him and later killed him.
The Director of Media and Publicity of MACBN in Kaduna State, Ibrahim Bayero-Zango, confirmed the incident to a Punch correspondent.
Bayero-Zango said that the gunmen had demanded N20 million from Abdullahi before kidnapping him and killing him later along the Saminaka-Mariri-Zango highway.
He told the newspaper, “Early this morning, one of our members called to inform the leadership of the state branch of MACBAN that at about 1:00am (Friday), unknown gunmen attacked the home of the chairman of MACBAN in Lere LG and killed him.
“When they arrived the house at about 1:00am, they demanded the sum of N20m from him in order to spare his life but he told them he had no such money.
“Although he was able to raise N250,000 for the assailants, they took him to the back of the town along the Saminaka-Mariri- Zango highway where they shot him dead.”
He condemned the incident and urged the Kaduna State governent and security operatives to investigate the attack in order to unravel the perpetrators of the act.
He added, “We totally condemn this heinous act and we are appealing to the state government and the Police to thoroughly investigate the attack and fish out the perpetrators of the attack.
“This is because Lere is one of the peaceful areas in the state where there has been no issue of herder-farmer crisis.
“There has been no issue of cattle rustling in the area but, surprisingly, somebody like the slain chairman of MACBAN, a strong supporter and promoter of peace in Lere, could be so brutally gunned down in that manner.
“We are sad over the incident.”