A Fulani pastoralist association has called on President Bola Tinubu to convene a national dialogue and reconciliation conference to address farmer-herder conflicts, alleging that more than 20,000 people have died in related violence over the past decade.
The Kautal Pulaaku Fulbe Association of Nigeria made the appeal at a peace and security conference in Abuja on Sunday, demanding an independent investigation into reported killings of pastoralists and an end to the profiling of Fulani communities as bandits, kidnappers and terrorists.
The association’s president, Dr Muhammad Hussein Buzaye, said pastoralist communities had suffered attacks, cattle rustling, destruction of settlements and displacement in several parts of the country. The death toll cited by the group was its own estimate and was not independently verified in the information provided.
“For too long, the word ‘Fulani pastoralist’ has been profiled and criminalised as synonymous with banditry, kidnapping and terrorism,” the association said.
It argued that the alleged stereotyping had contributed to hate speech, extrajudicial killings and mob violence against people who had no connection with criminal activities.
Association demands investigation into alleged killings
The group alleged that hundreds of pastoralists had been killed in attacks in Plateau, Niger, Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara and other states in recent months.
It said women, children and elderly people were among the reported victims, while cattle had been stolen or killed and pastoralist settlements destroyed.
The association urged the Federal Government to investigate the allegations, prosecute those responsible and provide relief to displaced families.
It also called on the National Emergency Management Agency and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons to extend assistance to affected pastoralist communities.
According to the group, pastoralists should receive the same protection and humanitarian support as other Nigerian citizens affected by violence and displacement.
The association condemned banditry, kidnapping and other criminal activities, insisting that perpetrators should be held individually accountable rather than an entire ethnic group being blamed for their actions.
“Criminals are criminals and have no tribe. We call on security agencies and the media to stop ethnic profiling but arrest and prosecute criminals as individuals, not as an ethnic group. An entire community cannot be punished for the sins of a few,” it said.
The group also urged security agencies to investigate attacks against pastoralists without discrimination and strengthen protection for vulnerable communities.
Tinubu urged to convene national reconciliation conference
The association argued that military operations alone would not resolve the persistent violence involving farmers and herders.
It called for a presidential declaration of a national dialogue and reconciliation process focused on truth, justice, forgiveness, compensation and a practical framework for peaceful coexistence.
The proposed conference would bring together pastoralist organisations, farmers’ associations, traditional rulers, religious leaders, security agencies, state governments and other stakeholders.
The association specifically mentioned Miyetti Allah groups, the Christian Association of Nigeria and Jama’atu Nasril Islam among the organisations it wants involved.
It said the dialogue should address grievances on all sides, establish accountability for violence and develop mechanisms to prevent further clashes.
The proposal comes amid longstanding disputes over access to farmland, grazing areas and water, alongside broader security challenges involving armed groups and criminal networks in several parts of Nigeria.
The association maintained that lasting peace would require impartial law enforcement, accountability for human rights violations and cooperation between communities.
Group seeks greater investment in livestock development
The association also commended Tinubu for establishing the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, describing it as an important step towards creating a dedicated institutional framework for the sector.
However, it expressed concern about what it described as inadequate funding and an insufficient operational framework to deliver programmes at the grassroots.
The group urged the President and the National Assembly to allocate at least 30 per cent of the agricultural budget to the ministry.
It also called for the immediate gazetting and protection of the country’s 417 grazing reserves, alongside the establishment of pilot ranches and fodder production projects across the six geopolitical zones.
The association estimated the livestock sector’s value at ₦30 trillion, arguing that greater investment in animal production, processing, veterinary services and modern livestock management could improve livelihoods and strengthen food security.
It said a better-funded ministry should implement practical programmes that reach pastoralist communities and provide sustainable alternatives to conflict over land, water and grazing routes.
The association did not provide supporting documentation for the livestock valuation or the proposed budget allocation in the statement supplied.
Pastoralists urged to reject violence and cooperate with police
The group acknowledged that pastoralist communities also had responsibilities in preventing and resolving conflicts.
It urged pastoralist leaders, households and young people to respect farmers’ rights and property, prevent cattle from straying into cultivated farmland and cooperate with lawful security investigations.
It also called on communities to report cattle rustling, kidnapping and other crimes, reject retaliatory attacks and misinformation, encourage school attendance and promote peaceful engagement with neighbouring communities.
The association disclosed plans to conduct awareness and sensitisation campaigns across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones to discourage criminality and strengthen relations between pastoralists, farmers and host communities.
It urged traditional rulers, government officials, security agencies, farmers’ groups and development partners to work together towards lasting solutions to insecurity.
“We are Nigerians. We are pastoralists. We are not bandits. We love this country. Our cattle feed this nation. Our children want to go to school,” the association said.
The group maintained that sustainable peace depended on justice without discrimination, security without exclusion and development that included pastoralist communities alongside farmers and other citizens.
Its conference brought together pastoralist leaders, cattle breeders and religious figures, including the association’s President-General, Ardo Aliyu Liman Bobboi, national secretary Ardo Abdullahi, Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi and Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir.
The association said its objective was to promote security, justice and peaceful coexistence while ensuring that criminal acts were addressed through lawful processes rather than ethnic generalisations.
