Chairman, secretary removed as leadership tussle rocks Eyean cattle dealers association

The leadership crisis rocking the Eyean Cattle Dealers Association, Benin City, Edo State, has taken a new dimension as members removed Idris Adano as the Board of Trustees, BOT, chairman of the body over alleged N116 million financial impropriety.

The members also removed the secretary of the BOT, Awall Shafie.

DAILY POST reports that the Board of Trustees elected Jidda Tahir and Ibrahim Shariff as chairman and secretary, respectively.

Adano and Shafie were reported to have been removed on April 25, 2026 at the BOT general meeting at the body’s office in Benin City.

At the meeting, five out of the seven-man BOT voted to remove Adano and Shafie over allegations of their unavailability to attend to issues pertaining to the association and financial impropriety of about N116 million.

They were also accused of non-payment of about N35 million for the clearing of refuse within the market.

Speaking on his removal, Adano, described the allegations as a deliberate attempt by mischievous individuals to sow disunity, instigate confusion and cause instability within the association.

In a statement personally signed by him and one Adam Gombe, he alleged that the entire membership of the association has passed an overwhelming vote of confidence in him.

The statement opined that the vote of confidence was due to Adano’s dedication, transparency and exemplary leadership in piloting the affairs of the association towards greater heights.

“We reaffirm our unalloyed loyalty and commitment to his leadership and vision. We strongly urge all members, stakeholders, the general public, and relevant security agencies to completely  disregard such unfounded claims and continue to extend their cooperation to the established leadership.

“The Eyean Cattle Dealers Association remains committed to its core mandate of fostering a conducive business environment for the cattle trade, ensuring market stability, promoting peace, and contributing positively to the economic development of Edo State and Nigeria,” the statement said.

Reacting, Ejiga Paul Enemona, counsel to the association, said the removal of the former chairman and secretary was in line with the union’s constitution.

Enemona, who spoke to newsmen in Benin City, added that if the removed chairman and the secretary continue parading themselves as executive members of the union, the present executive would not hesitate to drag them to security agencies

“In this association, they have seven Board of Trustees members and five of them voted against him. Five against two which is more than two thirds. The body has also applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, to apply for the removal

“The former chairman, Idris Adano, and others started the business together, and they discovered that Idris was not faithful.  He does not give accounts of the money that was coming to the association to the point that the people discovered that the sum of N116,658 million has been embezzled by the former chairman.

“He also within the same period  stopped calling for meetings. The other five members were not carried along. Only himself and the secretary were doing all that they were doing. In the course of doing so, the people say, no, we can’t continue like this. There are other things that form the allegation or the reason why he was removed.

“The market  has been left so unkept. What he claimed he was doing, he was not doing. One of my  colleagues here in Benin City by name Barrister Dele Edokpayi, has a company that went to clear the market there. And after they have done all those things, he took money from the association that he was going to pay him.

“He refused to pay.  As I speak, Barrister Dele Edokpayi has not received a dime from him. The money that was released to be paid to him, according to them, is N35 million. That was done and that was part of why he was removed,” Enemona stated.