New Telegraph

Foodstuff, cattle dealers demand N475bn compensation

…ask Buhari to address insecurity, threaten to withdraw services

 

The Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria (AUFCDN), comprising of 75 independent unions, has threatened to withdraw its services nationwide, should the Federal Government fail to meet its demands within the next seven days.

 

AUFCDN is demanding protection of its members, payment of N475 billion compensation for lives of members and properties lost during the #EndSARS protest and Shasha market chaos, dismantling of all road blocks on federal highways, and an agreement with state governments to withdraw services anytime their members were subject to attack.

 

This was contained in a communiqué signed and made available to journalists yesterday in Abuja by AUFCDN President, Comrade Muhammad Tahir, and the Secretary General, Ahmed Ahmed.

 

The union lamented that despite the series of complaints written to President Muhammadu Buhari, the National and State Houses of Assembly, first class Emirs, relevant agencies and all security apparatus in the country, its members have continued to suffer various forms of intimidation, frustration, humiliation as well as the destruction of properties, while some have been killed.

 

They listed the challenges confronting AUFCDN members to include armed robbery, kidnapping and multiple taxation arising from the illegal road blocks mounted at strategic locations which, in total, amounts to N450,000 spent before arriving their destinations.

 

The communiqué reads: “Given the lack of safety of our members and their properties nationwide, imposition of multiple taxations in the highways, despite our contribution to peace, progress, unity and economic growth of Nigeria, our members unanimously demands as follows:

 

“The Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately revisit our demands written at various times to address the bedevilling issues which includes but not limited to; “Compensation of lives and properties lost, to protect the rights of our members while on transit and at their places of doing business, to dismantle illegal road blocks mounted on the highways by hoodlums in total disregard to laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, most especially from Adamawa, Taraba, Benue down to Port Harcourt.”

 

Also speaking, President, Northern Consensus Movement,

 

Awwal Aliu who noted that AUFCDN had written to world bodies, including the United Nations and some foreign governments, lamented that 251 of its members were killed during the #EndSARS protest and the Shasha market crisis.

 

While warning that the entire country would be thrown into chaos should President Buhari fail to address the incessant killings, he insisted that the Fulani cattle herders were Nigerians and as such, have every right to reside and carryout businesses in any part of the country as stipulated in Nigeria’s constitution.

 

“There is insecurity, there is distrust among Nigerians and we feel it is time for the authorities to do something about it, otherwise it will degenerate to a situation where the country will go into chaos and that is what we are trying to avoid.

 

“One hundred and fiftyone of our members were lost during the #EndSARS protest and another 100 in the Shasha market crisis; we have also lost 100 trucks. We are demanding N475 billion as compensation for the loss of lives and properties.

 

“We are about 75 trade union organisations that constitute this body and if this body decides to withdraw their services, you know what that means. “This is an economic driven association; we produce and export from one part of Nigeria to the other part of Nigeria

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