The recent killings of two members of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in Kwara State have sparked widespread concern, with various theories emerging surrounding the incidents.

The murders followed a strikingly similar pattern, claiming the lives of former MACBAN chairman Alhaji Idris Abubakar Sakaina and another prominent member, Alhaji Dabe, who were both traced and killed at their residences under controversial circumstances.

Investigations revealed that Sakaina was fatally shot by AK-47-wielding assailants on Saturday, March 8, 2025, outside his home in Oke-Ose, Ilorin, at approximately 10:30 pm. At the time, he was waiting for one of his wives to open the gate.

Dabe’s killing occurred under equally mysterious conditions, raising fears about targeted attacks against community leaders and heightening tensions among cattle breeders in the region.

Dabe also suffered the same fate a few days later when he was reportedly traced and killed at his residence in Olooro close to Kanbi town along the Ilorin-Jebba highway in Moro Local Government Area.

The development, according to findings, had sparked fear and apprehension among the pastoralists’ communities in the state.

To this end, the leadership of all the herders in the state have been meeting over a possible halt to the killings, it was gathered.

The Seriki Fulani of Ilesha Baruba, Ardo Muhammed Abdullahi, told Daily Trust on Monday that he just entered Ilorin from Baruten for another meeting over the development.

“We don’t really know what is happening but this meeting will provide a clearer picture and a way forward,” he said.

There were varying accounts of the possible reasons expressed by leaders and locals during chats with our correspondent.

The secretary of MACBAN, AbdulAzeez Mohammed, who told Daily Trust that no fewer than four of its leaders have been killed in recent time, expressed concern that its leaders are now targets of suspected assassins and criminal elements.

Speaking on behalf of the association, Mohammed said the deceased MACBAN leader, Abubakar was killed because of efforts of Fulani leaders to rid the state of kidnapping and other criminal activities.

However, other leaders like Ali Idris Kau, the MACBAN leader in Ilorin South, said security agencies are investigating the issue.

“But we don’t know why our leaders are now being targeted, police investigation will reveal that,” he said.

On his part, a leader of the Gan-Allah Fulani Development Association of Nigeria (GAFDAN) in Kwara State, Ali Mohammed Jounwiro, said “We are in a meeting now, please I will speak with you later” when asked about the development.

Apart from the official position of MACBAN on the issue, some members have also insinuated possible leadership crises as a reason for the development.

While the police command, in a statement by its spokeswoman Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said investigation is ongoing, police sources further attributed it to a “dangerous dimension between some of their leaders working with the police against abduction and some bad elements profiting from it.”