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Yahaya Bello calls on FG to meet demands of northern traders
By Modupe Shodeinde
The Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has urged the Federal Government to meet the demands of the Amalgamated Union of Food and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria (AUFCDN), to avoid another blockade.
Recall that the union had halted the movement of food supply to the south in protest of a number of issues, including attacks on their members.
Addressing reporters after the union met with the presidency, led by Ibrahim Gambari, chief of staff to the president, on Wednesday, Governor Bello they (union) made a number of demands which must be met to avert a recurrence.
“I’ve got the commitment of the union in order for us not to continue to have this hardship across the country to lift the ban on food and livestock transportation to the south,” Bello said.
“I’ve also got major commitment from people from the south not to attack people of Hausa/Fulani and the traders in the south, and that the criminals among them, irrespective of tribe and religion, should be handed over to law enforcement agents.
“I’ve also got the commitment that their lives and properties will be protected also. So, these are the messages we brought to the chief of staff to convey to the president.” he said.
According to the governor, the number one demand of the traders is the assurance of yhe safety of their goods and the lives of their members anywhere in the country.
He said the association is demanding compensation “to be paid for the lives and livelihood destroyed in the south”.
“All those who committed those crimes should be brought to justice, the harassment by law enforcement agencies on our federal highways be stopped, the extortion by all touts along federal highways, especially from north-east or from the north to south-south and south-east, particularly, be stopped,” he said.
“We’ve presented those demands to the government because before now, they have reached out to every authority in the land and there seemed to be no positive response to the demand.”
