The Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore Association has said that the order given by President Buhari for security agents to shoot anyone seen with AK47 rifles in the bushes, will also affect “Amotekun and other ethnic militias.”

Recall that on Wednesday, February 3, presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, during an interview with BBC Hausa, disclosed that the President has issued a directive for security agents to go into the forest and shoot anyone seen carrying rifles such as AK47.

Reacting to Garba's comment, the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore National Secretary, Saleh Alhassan, in an interview with SaharaReporters, said that every non-state actor carrying rifles was bound by the presidential order. 

He added that their association does not have any problem with the order because its herders do not carry AK47 rifles.

“First and foremost, our members don’t carry AK-47 riles. But if you have criminals that carry weapons, they are not state actors. So, if the President who is the Commander-in-Chief and whose responsibility it is to ensure law and order in the country, has given a directive, we should comply.

Everyone, including vigilantes and Amotekun; I don’t think any law permits any non-state actor to carry AK-47 rifles. Since they started going after herdsmen in South-West, have they arrested anybody or have they killed anybody in the forests? At least, we should see their corpses. They are just displacing innocent herders.

Amotekun officials should by this order stop carrying AK-47 rifles. It is implied... all these ethnic militias. When they say people are carrying AK-47 rifles, they are non-state actors and the government has waited for so long. Even those who got licences, did they get license for AK47 rifles or just for pump action and dane guns?”