•Says FG has abandoned Fulani
Alhaji Mohammed Labar, the Sarikin Fulani of Abeokuta, Ogun State and Secretary, Fulani Council of Chiefs, South-West, Nigeria, is also the Zonal Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), the apex organization for Fulani herdsmen in the country. He spoke to Sunday Vanguard. Excerpts:
You just had a security meeting in Lagos with the other Fulani chiefs in the South-West. What was in the agenda?
Actually, a meeting like this is one of the many that we normally hold in respect of our communities in the South-West, to showcase the core existence between us and our host communities in our quest to have harmonious relationship. Even though the information that is going around, the rumors about herdsmen and all that, we have been trying to make sure that we calm things down and relate positively with every community. We try to assure everybody that we should be calm because this is one nation too many. We desire good relationship between our members in the South-West and the host communities.
What was the response of the people who came? How are they relating to their host communities considering alleged herdsmen attacks in the South-West?
All our chiefs from the South-West were here. Some will complain bitterly of the experiences they find themselves facing in their areas. So, we persuade them, we sensitize them on how to go about relating with their members in the areas, because we must educate, we must sensitize our members.
We must tell them what to do and that is the right thing that the Serikin Fulani, who is the Chairman of the Council, had spoken to our members about, to assure them, and sometimes we visit these areas, visit their Yoruba traditional rulers and discuss with them. We discuss how they will be living and enjoying the peaceful co-existence that we have been enjoying in the days back, now and in the future.
We knew about herdsmen who were carrying sticks while herding their cattle. Now we have herdsmen carrying AK47; we have bandits; we have terrorists who now kill, kidnap and rape women. How did the North come to this sorry state?
I want you to understand that a criminal is always a criminal. He does not disguise. He might disguise at some point, but a criminal is a criminal. A herder is always a herder. And the herders have always been part of the South-West for more than 200 years.
They have been coming here; they have been going around their businesses without hindrance, without causing harm to anybody. You can’t just come at this point of civilisation, everybody is civilised now, and you start causing problems. You know sometimes, it is about politics that herders have done this and herders have done that. We have to be very careful, in terms of relating information to our societies, because we want to achieve our aims or objectives. Herders are herders.
You can’t imagine a herder who is herding about 200 plus cows, leaving his flock and carrying AK47 to go and perform an evil act, just for him to achieve what? To achieve a crime that will not fetch him anything more than what he has? So, you see it is a propagation that is going around.
And by God willing, this shall come to pass by the Grace of God. We are doing our best to ensure that the whole world understands we are peace loving Nigerians. We have been in existence even before this country, herders have been in existence. There is no prophet that you know that is not a herder. Most of them are herders. I can tell you that the business of herders originated from the existence of life.
Information is that these herdsmen carrying arms are not really Nigerians. So what have you done to distinguish them from true herdsmen that you speak about?
That is the problem. To tell you that a Fulani man will checkmate an armed bandit criminal, that is false. It is the law enforcement agencies that will do their job. Though we are residing in the areas where these farmers are, any information we receive we give to relevant agencies for them to carry out investigations.
That is some of the things we educate our members to do, because if they kidnap or they do any evil thing, they will blame it on the whole area where most of our people reside to paint them in dark colours. This is the information we give them, to say, whatever they see, whatever they hear, whatever they know, they should try and make available the information so that law enforcement agencies will do their best.
But you don’t expect any herder to carry gun and engage in fighting the crime. That is not their responsibility. Their responsibility is to live in peace and co-exist with their host communities where they find themselves.
You were all happy and were rejoicing when Muhammadu Buhari became President some seven years ago. What do you say now?
Actually, we were the happiest tribe when he won election to become the President. But we are the most vilified tribe now; we suffer the most casualties as regards crime committed in the country today. Because in most areas where we conduct our businesses in free and peaceful atmosphere, it is no more like that, the peace has been shattered because the President is a Fulani man. Even in areas where we live in peace, we get abused because we are Fulani.
Though we know what he is trying to do. The President is doing his best based on the fact that things are very difficult, security challenges here and there and the economy itself. You know what is happening between Ukraine and Russia; that is affecting the economy of every nation in the world. So, he is doing his best and we are praying that God Almighty will help him and whoever will succeed him to continue to do their best and make sure this country gets the best leadership that it deserves.