Cattle Dealers to commence strike, demands N475b compensation
By Makanju Adio
From February 24 this month, the cattle dealers will begin an indefinite strike unless urgent action is taken by the Federal Government to address their needs.
In a media conference, the Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria, (AUFCDN) said its members have lost no fewer than 200 people in clashes relating to the #ENDSARs protests and other ethnic clashes.
The President of the group which is affiliated to the Nigerian Labour Congress, (NLC) Mr Muhammad Tahir said “We have made specific demands. We requested for N475 b for the loss. We are not just making up the figures of the numbers of people dead. We have their names, we their villages, we have their towns, we have detailed pictures of all that have been killed.” The President of the Association said.
He said his group has the pictures of people that have been killed. He said the association lost more than 100 trucks. Into the fracas.
He said “Many property of our members were damaged. We have detailed pictures and information of all those affected”
He said his group has sent reports to the offices of the United Nations, (UN) and the Embassies of the United States, (US), Germany, Britain and other Western countries. He said all protests letters written to Nigerian authorities were ignored.
He said “We have also written to various security agencies on multiple taxation hampering activities of our members through illegal roadblocks at unavoidable and strategic locations on federal highways and demand tax worth N450,000 before reaching our destinations.
“It is sad that some of the federal highways are not accessible to our members, as a result of multiple taxation, armed robbery attacks and kidnapping of our members until ransom are paid,” he lamented.
“To protect the rights of our members on transit and at their business places and dismantling of roadblocks on highways by hoodlums in disregard for laws of the country, especially from Adamawa, Taraba, Benue to Port Harcourt.