The umbrella body for Fulani herders in Nigeria, Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, has called on the Federal Government to arrest the Yoruba leaders that are backing Amotekun, the South-West security outfit recently formed by Governors in the region to counter epidemic insecurity.

the National President General of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Bello Abdullahi Bodejo, in an interview with The Sun, alleged that Amotekun was formed to ban Fulani herdsmen from Yorubaland.

He said:

They should not only ban it, but should arrest the leaders of this group. Like I said earlier, nobody or group has more security intelligence than the Police. The Army is doing enough; the DSS is also doing enough, likewise the Civil Defence.

They are just doing all these things in order to stop the Fulani from coming into their area; it is just a hidden agenda to prevent the Fulani herdsmen from grazing in their God-given areas.

If you say you set up Amotekun to protect your region, what about the Northern Nigeria, what about the Southeast and the South-South and other places that don’t have that kind of thing. Nigeria is one; everything is one, unless they want to divide the country.

I know some of their leaders have good hearts, but others have evil hearts, and those are the ones coming up with this agenda that the Fulani can’t do this and the Fulani can’t do that; all these things are happening because of Fulani; they are just against the Fulani.

I support 100 percent the federal government banning it; and the leaders should be arrested. It is a deliberate plot against the Fulani. How many Fulani have been involved in crime and criminal activities in the area? Go and check, those people they have been parading as criminals are not Fulani; if they see a Fulani with his cattle inside the bush, they will be calling the Commissioner of Police, DPO, Area Commander and other personalities that they have caught a Fulani committing one crime or the other. The moment this is done, the herdsman is scared and he would be made to sell all his cows to free himself from that wicked accusation, that is why you see some of these people are jumping from here to here supporting illegalities and they have their aim.

Bodejo also wondered why South West Governors can’t use security agencies that are very well organized and well accepted to tackle any security issue in their state. He expressed belief of the Nigerian Police not supporting such “illegality”.

He said:

We are following the anti-grazing law in Oyo very carefully, and we are sending our lawyers, but not much progress is being made in the court.

I had a meeting recently with some Fulani from Oyo who came to visit me, they told me how pressure was being mounted on them; and that the environment was being made so harsh and uncomfortable for them. I told them to be law abiding while carrying out their businesses. There, they don’t have fathers or mothers, so the only solution is to approach the court where we can have justice as we are in Nigeria.

I tell you, whether the headquarters of Amotekun is in Oyo or any of the states in the Southwest, as a governor, you are the chief security officer of that state, and in that state, you have the police, the army, the DSS, civil defence, why can’t you use these security agencies that are very well organized, well accepted to tackle any security issue in your state, instead of bringing a different thing to create confusion. I don’t think that the Nigeria Police will support this kind of illegalities.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.