MACBAN's Kaduna chapter says its members lost over 200,000 cattle and 50 lives to rustling, banditry, and communal clashes between January and September 2026, with none of the livestock recovered.
Kaduna — September 13, 2026
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Kaduna State chapter, says its members have lost more than 200,000 cattle and at least 50 lives to cattle rustling, banditry, communal clashes, and other forms of insecurity between January and September 2026.
The disclosure was made Sunday at a press conference in Kaduna addressed by the association's State Chairman, Alhaji Abdulhamid Musa, spokesman Ibrahim Bayero Zango, and other officials. "From January to this September, over 200,000 cows have been lost," the association said, adding that none of the animals had been recovered as of the time of the briefing.
MACBAN said about 50 of its members lost their lives during the period, attributing the deaths to communal clashes, alleged attacks by farmers, and killings by bandits during cattle-rustling operations.
The association stressed that cattle remain the primary source of livelihood for many pastoralist families, warning that the scale of herd losses carries consequences far beyond their immediate financial value. "For many cattle breeders, cattle are not only commercial assets. They represent means of sustainable survival to many generations," the group said.
MACBAN called for intelligence-led security operations in forests and other areas identified as cattle-rustling hotspots, along with an improved security presence along major livestock routes and in vulnerable rural communities.
It further urged authorities to establish an effective mechanism for recovering and returning stolen livestock to legitimate owners whenever intercepted, and called for government intervention, including possible compensation for affected breeders.
The disclosure adds to a mounting wave of similar complaints from MACBAN chapters across northern Nigeria this year, including a separate appeal just days earlier from the association over alleged killings and displacement of Fulani pastoralists in Niger and Kebbi States, where it also raised concerns about stolen cattle being funnelled into markets and abattoirs in southern and eastern Nigeria.
Taken together, these statements point to a rapidly deteriorating security situation for pastoralist communities running in parallel with, and in the public discourse often overshadowed by, the farmer-focused insecurity crisis dominating headlines in Benue, Plateau, and Niger States.
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