Members of the Fulani Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) may have become targets of suspected assassins in Kwara State.

The Guardian gathered that no fewer than four members of MACBAN have been killed in recent times.

The latest victim was their chairman, Alhaji Idris Abubakar, who was ambushed and killed last Saturday in front of his house in the Oke-Oyi area of Ilorin metropolis.

Our reporter reliably learned that cattle breeders suddenly became targets of criminal elements after resolving to assist security agencies in combating kidnappers and other criminals in the state.

Confirming this, the Secretary of MACBAN in the state, Mallam Abdulazeez Mohammed, yesterday lamented: “Idris Abubakar was killed last Saturday because of the joint efforts of Fulani leaders to rid the state of kidnapping and other criminal activities.”

He told newsmen that the slain MACBAN leader had been trailed for over five months before he was eventually killed at his residence.

“Our chairman was a great warrior. He fought kidnappers and was determined to rid the state of criminal activities.

“He told us, members of the association, that the hoodlums had been threatening him over the phone. They warned him that he would be killed if he did not stop disturbing their activities in the state. He had been their target,” he recounted.

It will be recalled that the MACBAN chairman in Kwara State, Alhaji Idris Abubakar, was murdered by gunmen last Saturday at about 10:00 p.m.

Describing Abubakar’s death as unfortunate and pathetic, Abdulazeez said the late chairman had gone to break his Ramadan fast and pray Isha with a prominent politician in the state, Yahaya Seriki. Upon his return home, he was ambushed by the gunmen, who killed him.

The MACBAN scribe, who was unsure whether Abubakar had reported the threats to security agencies, added: “The people shot him and shattered his head.

“He reported the threat to us, the Fulani leaders, during our meetings five months ago.”

He lamented that about three Fulani leaders had been killed before Abubakar’s murder last Saturday, stressing that Fulani leaders were becoming targets of criminals.

Speaking with journalists at their Oke-Oyi residence in Ilorin, Aisha Abubakar, the wife of the deceased MACBAN chairman, tearfully appealed to the government for assistance, particularly for the education of the young children left behind by her late husband.

Aisha, who recounted how the gunmen killed her husband, described his death as shocking and tragic.

“I was at home at about 10:00 p.m. on Saturday night when my husband called me to ask me to open the gate for him to enter the house.

“As I opened the gate, I saw two strange men. I had never seen them before. The moment they saw me, they brought out their guns and fired at where I was standing. I quickly rushed back inside for safety.

“I tried to reach out to some people to help my husband, who was left outside with them because I sensed danger. But there was no one around.

“I kept hearing gunshots while inside the house. By the time I summoned the courage to come outside again, the gunmen had left, leaving the corpse of my husband on the ground, where he was shot dead,” she narrated.

Also speaking, an elder brother of the late MACBAN chairman, Idris Ali Kau, called on both the state and federal governments to assist the deceased’s family.

Commenting on the tragic incident, the Fulani leader in Kwara State, Alhaji Ojonla Mahmud, urged security agencies to quickly track down the assailants and ensure they face justice.

He also appealed to the state government to support the deceased’s family by providing quality education for his children.

Alhaji Ojonla Mahmud emphasized that the welfare of the deceased’s family should be a top priority to enable them to live a decent life.

He further charged the Fulani community in the state to ensure peaceful coexistence at all times.