Fulani live in fear in South East following attacks

Alhaji Musa Abdullahi is the South-East Zonal Chairman of Gan Allah Fulbe Fulani Development Association of Nigeria. In this interview with Daily Trust, he speaks about what the Fulani in the region are facing following the massacre of a family of 19. Excerpt.

How do you feel about the incident?

It was pathetic. I stay in Enugu and we had the premonition that such a thing would happen due to the videos posted that some Fulani had been chased out of Ebonyi and reports of killings of Fulani and their cows. Since then, the government has not taken any step or started anything that will reassure us of our safety. The people who were attacked had no way of telling the world what was happening to them because they had no phones or data for people to hear from them.

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Does that mean the killing in Anambra was not the first?

Yes, it was not the first but this is the most devastating. Fulani have been attacked on several occasions. One of my workers was killed last week in Enugu State along with a large number of my cows. He was killed in the bush while grazing the cows. He had no problem with anyone in the area. When the cows damage crops, I used to be called to pay money for compensation.

The news of his death came to me on the morning of Friday, April 9th that some men wearing black clothes and armed with guns started shooting without provocation. Also, an 18-year-old boy was shot in the head. He survived and was taken to a hospital. Alhamdulilah, he is doing fine now and was discharged from the hospital yesterday.

What is the reality of Fulani in the South East due to constant attacks?

In the entire South East, Fulani are not living in peace. Currently, there is no Fulani in Ebonyi State. There are videos online that you will hear some people saying, “We are chasing Fulani away. We don’t want them; they are raping our wives.” They were doing these things and burning the houses of Fulani. There are few Fulani left in Enugu State, Anambra, Abia as well as Imo states. So, I can say that in the Southeast, Fulani are living in fear. The governments are aware of these things and they are not doing anything.

Have they buried the 19 people who were killed in Anambra?

Yes, they have been buried. They were buried on Monday. We have not seen any step taken by the government to apprehend those behind the attacks.

How can the government arrest the situation?

To be sincere, the Fulani in the South East are not troublemakers, we live in peace with those in the community. Though there used to be little clashes when our cows stray into farms and we solve them by paying compensation to owners of the farmlands. Such things are bound to happen.

We don’t carry deadly weapons and we don’t support any Fulani carrying deadly weapons. We obey the laws of the land to the best of our ability just to ensure that we have cordial relationships with the people here. Whenever there is any reason to write to the governor or DPO’s in the area we are, we do that. What we want the government to understand is that there is no justification for these killings to continue and the way they sit idle without any response is worsening the situation. Everyone has their mindset, when a group is marginalized on the premise that any act of violence can be meted out on them without any reaction from the government, the marginalized group would respond by taking arms to protect themselves.

I am calling on the government to take expeditious actions to put a stop to these attacks on Fulani before the whole situation gets out of hand. They should not see us as illiterates who belong to the bush that when any misdeed is done on them, nothing will happen. When the Fulani here realize that no help will come from the government and resort to self-help, the situation will be out of hand.