Connect with us

News

10,000 Fulani herdsmen killed, two million displaced in the last seven years —Miyetti Allah

Published

on

10,000 Fulani herdsmen killed, two million displaced in the last seven years —Miyetti Allah

The umbrella body of Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), says in the past seven years, well over 10,000 pastoralists have been killed while more than two million have been displaced across the country.

MACBAN made this disclosure in a communique at the end of an “interactive policy dialogue and cultural festival with the theme ‘The future of Fulani pastoralists in Nigeria” held in Abuja, on Friday.

According to the group, the security summit which was organised in collaboration with the Northern Consensus Movement (NCM), “could not have come at a better time following the current security challenges facing pastoralists and the Fulani stock with its attendant negative consequences.”

In the communique signed by the National Secretary of MACBAN, Baba Othman Ngelzarma, the group noted that from 2015 till date, many pastoralists had been impoverished while over four million of their livestock have either been rustled or arbitrarily killed.

“Looking at the current security challenges in the country, ranging from banditry to kidnapping and cattle rustling, Fulani pastoralists have been the worst victims despite several narratives stating otherwise and making them look like the protagonists of insecurity,” the communique said.

“Stereotyping and stigmatisation of Fulani herders, and the incendiary role of social and the mainstream media, leading to ethnic profiling, are a prelude to genocide.”

The communique also blamed the activities of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOV), and its militia wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN) in the South-East, as well as some local vigilante groups in the Northern region as worsening the situation for the survival of herdsmen and their families.

Read also: Ebonyi govt exonerates Fulani herdsmen over attacks on community

“The barbaric activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)/the Eastern Security Network (ESN) and the ’Yan-Sa-Kai’ group in the North have worsened the security situation and threatening the corporate existence of the country.

“There are over four million out-of-school pastoral children roaming about, knowing full well that education is a fundamental human right and the bedrock of social change.

“Therefore, the government, as well as individuals and non-governmental organisations, should support and prioritise the education of pastoralists and rural communities,’’ the communiqué stated.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now