The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria has dismissed a United States government report alleging the existence of 30,000 armed Fulani militants in Nigeria, warning that criminalising an entire ethnic group risks inflaming tensions and undermining peace efforts.
MACBAN was responding to a report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, which claimed that roughly 30,000 armed Fulani militants operate across Nigeria and contribute significantly to religious freedom violations.
In a statement issued on Friday, MACBAN National President Baba Ngelzarma described the report’s estimate as misleading and unrepresentative of the broader Fulani population. He said the individuals cited in the report “do not, and will never, represent the 14.5 million peaceful Fulani citizens” in the country.
Ngelzarma also argued that many Fulani pastoralists are themselves victims of insecurity, pointing to cattle rustling, kidnappings, and retaliatory attacks suffered by law-abiding members of the community.
The association said it would neither shield nor justify anyone involved in criminal acts, and affirmed its commitment to supporting security agencies. It also disclosed that it has directed its state and zonal branches to strengthen intelligence-sharing with security agencies and traditional rulers to help identify and eliminate criminal elements in rural and border communities.
MACBAN condemned terrorism, banditry, and killings across Nigeria regardless of the perpetrators, while urging Nigerians to resist ethnic profiling in addressing security challenges.
The group further called on the government and development partners to invest in livestock sector reforms, particularly ranching, as a long-term alternative to open grazing and a means of reducing farmer-herder conflicts. It said lasting peace would require justice, dialogue, improved security cooperation, and economic interventions targeting the root causes of violence.
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