‘Herders suffer more in Plateau than in other states’ – Fulani leader

Fulani leader in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, Malam Musa Sale, has revealed that contrary to widespread claims that his people have been staging violent attacks and killings in local communities, herders have been at the receiving end most of the time.

According to Sale, herders in the state suffer more attacks, killings, and cattle rustlings than in other states, especially in the Middle Belt, where they are often targeted by natives.

In an exclusive interview with DAILY POST on Sunday, Sale said that in the past five years, over 1,000 Fulani people have been killed while more than 5,000 cows have either been killed or stolen by native militias in places like Mangu, Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, Bassa, and Riyom local government areas.

“I can tell you that Fulani herders suffer more attacks in Plateau State than in other states, especially in the Middle Belt,” Sale said.

“Most of these attacks and killings of our people are not reported because the media in the state have refused to report what we are going through. They only report when our people get frustrated and decide to go after those who kill our herders and steal our cows,” he added.

Sale lamented that even when it is glaringly apparent that herders are victims in some of the violence, the narrative is often changed to make it appear that they are the aggressors.

“In some cases, native youths, especially the Beroms, form gangs and attack Fulani settlements, killing our people and rustling our cows. These attacks are never reported, but when our people become angry and decide to fight back, the whole world sees it.

“In the last five years, we have lost over 1,000 herders, including young children who go about their grazing business without looking for trouble. Over 5,000 of our cows have either been killed or stolen, but no one hears about such incidents.

Sale lamented that even when it is glaringly apparent that herders are victims in some of the violence, the narrative is often changed to make it appear that they are the aggressors.

“In some cases, native youths, especially the Beroms, form gangs and attack Fulani settlements, killing our people and rustling our cows. These attacks are never reported, but when our people become angry and decide to fight back, the whole world sees it.

“In the last five years, we have lost over 1,000 herders, including young children who go about their grazing business without looking for trouble. Over 5,000 of our cows have either been killed or stolen, but no one hears about such incidents.

“I don’t know what we have done that the Plateau people hate us so much. Just last week, some herders were moving their cows from Mangu to another location, but somewhere between Kombun and Bwai, some native youths came out in large numbers to block the route. For two days, they did not allow us to pass. It only took the intervention of security personnel to calm them down before we could continue.

“I am not even talking about what we go through in Bokkos. For our herders, Bokkos is like a dead zone. A few months ago, three young boys who were just grazing their cows were attacked by Berom youths; a 13-year-old boy was killed, and over 50 cows were stolen. Sometimes, these Berom youths deliberately attack their own communities, destroy farmlands, and set fire to villages only to turn around and accuse Fulani herders.

“We have records of such incidents, and at the right time, we will bring them out and let the people be the judge. I am not saying there are no criminal elements among our people, but there are also criminals among native tribes like the Beroms and Mwaghavuls, who have militia gangs.

“All we are saying is that the media should also report on their criminal activities instead of always attributing every act of violence in the state to Fulani herders. We have also been victims, but no one cares to report those incidents because of the hatred they have against us.”