₦airaland Forum

Plateau killings: Fulani herdsmen accuse media of biasPublished on October 20, 2017 By Amos Tauna

https://dailypost.ng/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/herdsmen.jpg

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, Plateau State chapter, has accused the media of bias and complicity in its reports against its members.

State chapter chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, Malam Nura Abdullahi, made the accusation in a press conference in Jos, Thursday evening on the recent killings in the State.


He expressed dismayed over the killings and beheading of six (6) innocent Fulani cattle rearers on Sunday October 15, 2017 by the Irigwe militia in Kuri village of Bassa local government area of the state.

He expressed concern over the unfortunate incident for a section of the media not reporting the killings of their people, but alleged that it was headers that did attack and killed the Irigwe people, even when no arrest was made.

“We also observed the unbalanced reporting of the incident by the media, where they neglected and refused to interview or contact the Fulani community to capture the killings of the six (6) deceased, 40 sheep and 9 cows machete to dead and the 232 rustled cows by the Irigwe militia,” he alleged.

He said the unfortunate incident was immediately reported to the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Bassa local government area and Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), Sector 6, who visited the scene and confirmed the dead and burial.


“MACBAN Plateau State chapter wholeheartedly condemned the killings of all innocent lives, destruction of properties and rustling of Fulani cows,” he lamented.

According to him, the headers were peace loving people, calling on Plateau State government and security operatives to investigate, fetch out the killers and take necessary action that would stop future re-occurrence.

Meanwhile, the Plateau State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Tyopev Terna, told journalists that; “The police headquarters has donated a helicopter to carry out air surveillance in the area.

“I want to first of all sympathize with the people of Bassa local government area, they lost so many of their loved ones. I don’t want to be particular about what Meyyity Allah said and their lost. You know when so many lives are lost, it arose so many passion so I wouldn’t want to dwell so much on what they are claiming that has happened.”


“I have received a signal from the Police divisional officer, that people were killed at a village, 27 of them were killed and were buried in accordance with the Irigwe tradition and Islamic religion. while people lost their lives, in there I wouldn’t want to emphasise on the lost,” Tyopev said.

He explained that the Police Commissioner had posted three units of Mobile Police force to intensify patrol and to make sure that attacks on the area were not carried out.

The PPRO said that there was an attempt of attack on a community closed to the one that was attack previously, but was repelled due to prompt response by the police, assuring the members of the public to go about their normal business.

He stressed that investigation was ongoing to make sure that the perpetrators of the act were brought to book.

There have been numerous cases of incessant attacks by fulani herdsmen.. It is possible the fulani here's men may be wronged in the first instance in any case but the problem is that their response is always raids on villages destruction, mass killings, mass rape and the likes.. For example even if just one cow is killed They take justice into their hands by engaging in mass killings of innocent people.. The MACBAN need to educate their members.. There is no bias in media reportings.

nosiebaba:
There have been numerous cases of incessant attacks by fulani herdsmen.. It is possible the fulani here's men may be wronged in the first instance in any case but the problem is that their response is always raids on villages destruction, mass killings, mass rape and the likes.. For example even if just one cow is killed They take justice into their hands by engaging in mass killings of innocent people.. The MACBAN need to educate their members.. There is no bias in media reportings.

But many Fulani are not in contact, so it is extremely unfair to group the Fulani as a single coordinated organisation - despite how much people want to. There are over 7 million Fulani herdsmen living nomadic life throughout the Sahel region of Africa, I will post a map below. It's nearly impossible to keep track of them and many are moving South because climate change is desertifying the Sahel and stopping their cattle from being able to graze (https://www.nairaland.com/4123441/climate-change-jihad-tribalism-scientific). Even if peace is brokered with one tribe or group of Fulani, another may come and have members that do the same thing.

Ioseph:
But many Fulani are not in contact, so it is extremely unfair to group the Fulani as a single coordinated organisation - despite how much people want to. There are over 7 million Fulani herdsmen living nomadic life throughout the Sahel region of Africa, I will post a map below. It's nearly impossible to keep track of them and many are moving South because climate change is desertifying the Sahel and stopping their cattle from being able to graze (https://www.nairaland.com/4123441/climate-change-jihad-tribalism-scientific). Even if peace is brokered with one tribe or group of Fulani, another may come and have members that do the same thing.

The condemnation the violent and criminal acts of fulani herdsmen is not a defamation of the fulani as a group. We know we are all diverse Nigerians love fulani culture our ladies love fulani attire it's always on parade in ever cultural day in schools from nursery to primary it's one of the major depictions of the diversity of Nigerian cultures so no one is attacking the fulani as a group.. The coordinated criminal acts by herdsmen is the subject.. Thanks

These silly perinnal kill who only stock in trade is wanton bloodshed,killing and ethnic cleansing are here again to play the victim while their destruction is clearly visible for humanity to see from antiquity.They're rather the biased fellas here

nosiebaba:
The condemnation the violent and criminal acts of fulani herdsmen is not a defamation of the fulani as a group. We know we are all diverse Nigerians love fulani culture our ladies love fulani attire it's always on parade in ever cultural day in schools from nursery to primary it's one of the major depictions of the diversity of Nigerian cultures so no one is attacking the fulani as a group.. The coordinated criminal acts by herdsmen is the subject.. Thanks

But the Fulani herdsmen are not a coordinated group as I said, there are 25 million+ Fulani but 7 of those 25 million are all herdsmen. Ignoring settled Fulani, there are countless herdsmen who do not participate in these attacks and conventional bargaining is flawed because herdsmen tribes travel throughout the entire Sahel, from Senegal to Sudan, not just inside Naija, so one herdsmen group may agree to peace and another may come in from the East or the West and start attacking farms, making the peace agreement pointless. Some Fulani herdsmen probably have done nothing and may end up targeted by vengeful farmers while the real culprits escape. The situation is like something out of the Dark Ages. The bottom line is that allowing this to boil into revenge killings will end in pointless deaths of many innocents and greater instability within the Middle Belt and Nigeria as a whole, and as we have seen with the rest of Africa, conflicts like this just destroy the future of nations. Honestly it is shocking that the Nigerian military and police have not made more attempts to stop this conflict - similar conflicts in neighbours like Ghana and Mali have resulted in a lack of government response, revenge killings and eventually herdsmen being approached by real Jihadist groups like ISIS and being asked to join them in return for protection.

If there is not a response to the attacks, there is a real danger of disillusioned or threatened Herdsmen being approached by Jihadis, and that will become an extreme threat.

I have said it before and will continue saying again, that the media (owned and dominated by Christian southerners) is biased against the Fulani in reporting the ongoing herdsmen/farmers clashes.
They keep covering only one side of a two sided story, never telling the Fulani side, always showing and interviewing the victims to make it as if the latter are a bunch of mindless murderers who simply pick up arm and kill without cause or justification.
The media is increasingly lazy and unprofessional, never digging up the root course of the problem by investigating and asking the right questions such as confirming who were the real killers (not based on hearsay) and what motivated the killings.
As we can now see based on this story; the Fulani were in fact the initial victims of murder (by beheading) and massive stealing and killing of their cattle which prompted them to retaliate; yet the press simply covered the story as a one sided issue, showing the indigenous population as the victims of an unprovoked attack - completely ignoring the losses suffered by the herdsmen at the hands of the not so called innocent locals (notice how the police spokesman is struggling to avoid confirming the Fulani allegations against the locals).

Ioseph:
But the Fulani herdsmen are not a coordinated group as I said, there are 25 million+ Fulani but 7 of those 25 million are all herdsmen. Ignoring settled Fulani, there are countless herdsmen who do not participate in these attacks and conventional bargaining is flawed because herdsmen tribes travel throughout the entire Sahel, from Senegal to Sudan, not just inside Naija, so one herdsmen group may agree to peace and another may come in from the East or the West and start attacking farms, making the peace agreement pointless. Some Fulani herdsmen probably have done nothing and may end up targeted by vengeful farmers while the real culprits escape. The situation is like something out of the Dark Ages. The bottom line is that allowing this to boil into revenge killings will end in pointless deaths of many innocents and greater instability within the Middle Belt and Nigeria as a whole, and as we have seen with the rest of Africa, conflicts like this just destroy the future of nations. Honestly it is shocking that the Nigerian military and police have not made more attempts to stop this conflict - similar conflicts in neighbours like Ghana and Mali have resulted in a lack of government response, revenge killings and eventually herdsmen being approached by real Jihadist groups like ISIS and being asked to join them in return for protection.

If there is not a response to the attacks, there is a real danger of disillusioned or threatened Herdsmen being approached by Jihadis, and that will become an extreme threat.

Why are did you chose clever moniker to continue to propagate and spread material and moral support for a known terrorist group.. You are not a christian like you your moniker to sound but a desperate heartless Fulani woman

SalamRushdie:
Why are did you chose clever moniker to continue to propagate and spread material and moral support for a known terrorist group.. You are not a christian like you your moniker to sound but a desperate heartless Fulani woman

on a serious note, the media has been biased against the herdsmen in most cases. I witness two cases and the way the media reported the issue was shameful. One of those case graced the front page some months ago.

ItsMeAboki:
I have said it before and will continue saying again, that the media (owned and dominated by Christian southerners) is biased against the Fulani in reporting the ongoing herdsmen/farmers clashes.
They keep covering only one side of a two sided story, never telling the Fulani side, always showing and interviewing the victims to make it as if the latter are a bunch of mindless murderers who simply pick up arm and kill without cause or justification.
The media is increasingly lazy and unprofessional, never digging up the root course of the problem by investigating and asking the right questions such as confirming who were the real killers (not based on hearsay) and what motivated the killings.
As we can now see based on this story; the Fulani were in fact the initial victims of murder (by beheading) and massive stealing and killing of their cattle which prompted them to retaliate; yet the press simply covered the story as a one sided issue, showing the indigenous population as the victims of an unprovoked attack - completely ignoring the losses suffered by the herdsmen at the hands of the not so called innocent locals (notice how the police spokesman is struggling to avoid confirming the Fulani allegations against the locals).

as 'we' can see- u and who are the we? So fulani allegation is now the all and all in dispute investigation? Are fulani Nigerians to start with?

Kyase:
on a serious note, the media has been biased against the herdsmen in most cases. I witness two cases and the way the media reported the issue was shameful. One of those case graced the front page some months ago.

Kyase your people in Benue state have been on the receiving end of unprovoked Fulani attacks the most and yet you say the media is biased against Fulanis....Okay let's even agree that Fulanis are always attacked first(which is not the case ) Are Fulanis now a Justice system within the state of Nigeria that they go about passing death verdicts on entire communities ? Is there any law stopping Fulanis from reporting crimes against them to our justice system ? You people keep making the Fulanis believe they can operate outside our laws with no consequence

SalamRushdie:
Kyase your people in Benue state have been on the receiving end of unprovoked Fulani attacks the most and yet you say the media is biased against Fulanis....Okay let's even agree that Fulanis are always attacked first(which is not the case ) Are Fulanis now a Justice system within the state of Nigeria that they go about passing death verdicts on entire communities ? Is there any law stopping Fulanis from reporting crimes against them to our justice system ? You people keep making the Fulanis believe they can operate outside our laws with no consequence

get my point, i used the term 'most of the time' and I never justify any of their killings. The media should be fair. My sef don tire for this issue. Fulani man and farmer no fit fight again, them go name am herdsmen attack.

meforyou1:
as 'we' can see- u and who are the we? So fulani allegation is now the all and all in dispute investigation? Are fulani Nigerians to start with?

I am not surprised that such irony and stupidity would come from a Kanu disciple with typical potopoto mentality.

ItsMeAboki:
I am not surprised that such irony and stupidity would come from a Kanu disciple with typical potopoto mentality.

I don't talk to stateless nomads

meforyou1:
I don't talk to stateless nomads

Isn't it ironical that a Jew would be questioning the nationality of an African within his own country; shouldn't you be talking about how to develop Israel, your country, than poke nosing into business that does concern you - are an African let alone Nigerian?

ItsMeAboki:
Isn't it ironical that a Jew would be questioning the nationality of an African within his own country; shouldn't you be talking about how to develop Israel, your country, than poke nosing into business that does concern you - are an African let alone Nigerian?

I'm a full blooded Nigeria just like you jihadists are full blooded sene-gambians

meforyou1:
I'm a full blooded Nigeria just like you jihadists are full blooded sene-gambians

Potopoto Republicans a.k.a Biafrans a.k.a Black Jews, a.k.a. Developers are not Nigerians nor Africans, you therefore have no right to poke nose into our business - go back and further develop Jerusalem.