The National President of the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Alhaji Bello Bodejo, has claimed that years of deprivation, injustice, and neglect forced some aggrieved Fulani pastoralists in the country into arm struggle with the government and local communities.
He further alleged that Fulani pastoralists have not been given fair treatments over the years in Nigeria, and in spite of several complaints and calls for change, no respite came their way, thus forcing the aggrieved ones to retire to the bush from where they periodically express their anger through attacks.
He made this assertion at the maiden interactive policy dialogue and cultural festival with the theme ‘the future of Fulani Pastoralists in Nigeria.’
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He said despite the propaganda against Fulani pastoralists, they remain the worst hit by the high level of insecurity in Nigeria.
‘Unarguably, the affairs of the Fulani pastoralists in Nigeria have been relegated to the background with no one talking about issues of concerns that have been raised by the people. No one can doubt our contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Nigeria, and yet, Fulani pastoralists have been neglected, relegated, and pushed to the wall, hence they are reacting their own way.
‘Obviously, the aggrieved Fulani in the bush allegedly making trouble are the ones that might have ran out of patience. If not that I was lucky, I would have been armed with AK-47 rifle or what is more than that, our interest are not considered in the plans of the government.
‘For an average herdsman in Nigeria and beyond, his cattle is all he has, in addition to his family. But lately, he has been forcefully dispossessed of his wealth with no justice coming from neither the government nor the communities.
‘Many of them have lost their sources of livelihood, family and other inheritances and nothing is being done about it by the government. Rather there are perceived conspiracy between courts, communities, security agencies to profile the herdsmen in order to get justification for their planned terror against them, but it won’t continue anymore.’
Bodejo said there was need to reach out to these aggrieved Fulani pastoralists, especially through their trusted and reliable channels, traditional rulers and clerics, to make peace.
He said many of them are openly venting their anger against the government and the society due to the level of injustice and deprivation they have suffered.
