The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria has distanced the Fulani community from criminal groups operating across the country, stating that the estimated 30,000 militants and bandits cited in a recent report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom do not represent the 14.5 million Fulani citizens in Nigeria.
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In the report, USCIRF said 30,000 armed Fulani militants are operating across Nigeria in groups ranging from 10 to 1,000 members.
It added that the militants had become some of the deadliest non-state actors driving religious freedom violations in Nigeria.
Responding in a statement on Friday, MACBAN’s National President, Baba Ngelzarma, said law-abiding pastoralists were among the primary victims of criminal syndicates, suffering cattle rustling, kidnappings and retaliatory attacks.
“We state categorically that the estimated 30,000 active militants and bandits cited in the USCIRF brief do not, and will never, represent the 14.5 million peaceful Fulani citizens of this country.
“As MACBAN has stated in several reports and statements, law-abiding pastoralists are themselves primary victims of these criminal syndicates, routinely suffering from cattle rustling, mass abductions and retaliatory violence,” the statement partly read.
The association said it would not shield individuals or groups involved in criminal activities and pledged support for security agencies in tackling insecurity.
“MACBAN will not shield, make excuses for, or tolerate any individual or group engaging in violent criminality,” it stated.
The group disclosed that it had directed its zonal and state branches to strengthen intelligence-sharing arrangements with security agencies and traditional rulers to help identify and apprehend criminal elements.
“We are actively directing our zonal and state branches to formalise and deepen closed-door intelligence-sharing channels with federal security forces and local traditional rulers.
“We pledge our full cooperation to help law enforcement detect, isolate and flush out criminal elements using our forests and borderlands as cover,” the association added.
MACBAN also condemned terrorism, banditry and targeted killings across the country, regardless of the ethnic or religious identities of the perpetrators.
The association further called on Nigerians, security agencies and the media to avoid ethnic profiling, warning that the collective stigmatisation of pastoralists could undermine efforts to combat insecurity and promote national cohesion.
It urged the Federal Government and development partners to support ongoing efforts to modernise livestock production through ranching and other initiatives aimed at reducing conflicts associated with open grazing.
According to the association, lasting peace can only be achieved through justice, dialogue, security cooperation and economic reforms that address the root causes of conflict.
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