Saleh Alhassan, the National Secretary of the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore Fulani Socio-cultural Association has alleged that politicians are behind the persistent crisis in Plateau State, not herders.
He made the allegation on Friday during an appearance on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, The Morning Brief, where he addressed issues of national security and herder-farmer relations.
Alhassan, who is also the former Secretary-General of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, dismissed the widespread narrative that foreign herders are responsible for recent killings across the Middle Belt, describing it as both “misleading” and “politically motivated.”
“The notion and narrative of foreign herders is a distraction. It is a continuation of efforts to deny Nigerian herders their citizenship and a major challenge to achieving peace, especially concerning the farmers-herders conflict,” he said.
Speaking specifically on the Plateau crisis, Alhassan described the situation as highly politicised.
“I schooled and grew up in Plateau, so I know the root causes of these crises,” he said. “The recent conflict in Bokkos, for instance, started over a motorcycle theft, not grazing or land use. But suddenly, every conflict is labelled a farmer-herder clash.”
“If Governor Caleb Mutfwang wants to be sincere, he knows this conflict is political. There is a clear agenda to expel herders from Plateau State. His political godfather, former Governor Jonah Jang, has been a driver of that narrative, and it has been renewed again.”
Alhassan also condemned what he described as the use of ethnic militias disguised as vigilantes, stating that peaceful herders are often left with no choice but to resort to self-defence.
READ MORE: Foreign Herdsmen Responsible For Most Attacks In Plateau, Benue — Defence Headquarters
“Peaceful herders have no business with banditry,” he said. “But when governors abandon conventional law enforcement and empower ethnic militias, injustices are committed against herders. In such a setting, herders resort to self-help.”
The secretary accused some politicians of weaponising the insecurity for personal gain and insisted that criminality must be addressed directly and without ethnic bias.
“We are heading into another election season, and suddenly conflicts are being reignited and mischaracterised as herder-farmer clashes.
“In Plateau, for instance, this is not even the cropping season, yet such narratives are being pushed. These are pretentious statements. Treat criminals as criminals, treat bandits as bandits,” he said bluntly.
Referring to recent killings in Plateau and Benue states, Alhassan argued that herders are often the first victims of violence and should not be criminalised.
“Our herders are not armed. What we have are armed bandits in our forests, who are mistakenly or deliberately labelled as herders. We’ve lost many herders and thousands of cattle, yet we’re still accused as the perpetrators.
“Most of the images we see of armed herders are not even from Nigeria,” he added, insisting, “There are no foreign herders in North Central Nigeria. What exists in some border communities are bandits and criminals, not genuine herders.”
According to Alhassan, herders are frequently kidnapped for ransom, adding that their suffering is rarely acknowledged by the authorities.
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“It’s always convenient for security agencies to blame us to avoid engaging in deep conversations that address the root cause of these issues,” he said. “Let them parade those arrested and show us their nationalities. It’s not just about Fulfulde, Fulani or the language they speak.”
While noting that the Miyetti Allah association keeps a register of its members, Alhassan admitted that tracking herders can be challenging due to the fluid and nomadic nature of their lifestyle.
As a long-term solution, he advocated for integrating livestock systems across the country. “Integration of livestock is the solution to the farmer-herder conflict,” he stated.#Fulani
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