Fulani Group Sends Strong Warning Over Security Labels in Nigeria

(Fulani Militants. Photo by BBC)

A group identifying itself as the Concerned Fulani People of Nigeria has called on the United States and other international parties to refrain from associating the Fulani ethnic group with Nigeria's ongoing security crisis, cautioning that such portrayals risk inflaming ethnic divisions and deepening mistrust among communities.

In a statement signed by Ibrahim Barkindo Chubado, the group took issue with what it described as inconsistent foreign reporting on Nigeria's security landscape particularly narratives that paint Fulani communities as key drivers of banditry and violence.

The group noted an apparent contradiction in the US position, pointing out that earlier assessments had cautioned against ethnic generalisation, while more recent commentary appeared to move in the opposite direction.

The statement also drew attention to the Buhari era, during which the association between Fulani identity and insecurity became a recurring theme in public discourse a pattern the group argued contributed directly to attacks, forced displacement, and property loss affecting Fulani communities in various parts of the country.

The group was emphatic that farmer-herder conflicts are rooted in a web of interrelated factors including competition over land, environmental degradation, and local political dynamics and that many Fulani families in states such as Benue, Plateau, and Taraba have lived there for generations and should not be treated as alien elements.

Rejecting the use of terms like "Fulani militants" to explain widespread insecurity, the group maintained that Nigeria's security challenges involve a range of actors, including bandits, terrorists, and separatist movements, and cannot fairly be laid at the feet of one ethnic group.

It concluded by calling for reporting that is balanced, evidence-driven, and mindful of its potential impact on national cohesion.