The Gan-Allah Fulani Development Association of Nigeria (GAFDAN), an umbrella group for Fulani ethnic organisations in Nigeria, has raised the alarm over the number of Fulani in various detention facilities across the nation.
GAFDAN chairman, Alhaji Saleh Bayeri, told journalists on Sunday in Kaduna that about 3,500 were being detained.
He lamented that Fulani people have been criminalised, stereotyped as killers and are arrested at will by security agencies.
He noted that Fulani people are seen as the black sheep that commit all the crimes and must be punished even for offences that they never committed, saying they were deemed guilty as charged, while other tribes are innocent until proven guilty.
According to him: “The Federal Government and security agencies need to do something fast to buckle the dangerous trend, while Fulani people in captivity must be charged to court to enable the law prove them innocent or guilty.
“There are a lot of problems, but the most important one is the issue of insecurity in the country. It did not start with Fulani ethnic group, it started with other groups that also commit crimes like armed robbery and kidnapping.
“The issue of armed robbery in Nigeria was entirely an issue of Southern part in South East or South West, especially in Lagos, Anambra states and other part of the South East.
“With the advent of time, the problem started coming to the North. So, even this issue of kidnapping is something that cropped into North from the Southern part.
“But unfortunately, during all the commission of this crime in the South, no ethnic group was completely stereotyped, stigmatized and blackmailed to the extent that every member of that tribe is seen as part of that criminality than Fulani herdsmen or Fulani persons.”
While noting that criminal activities in Nigeria was never an ethnic, religious or regional issue, he said, “with the advent of ethnic and religious hatred against Fulani, because we belong to a large ethnic group in Nigeria, we have been painted black and made victims of the stereotype and seen by many people as criminals until we prove ourselves otherwise. Under all laws, everybody has fundamental rights of being innocent until proven otherwise by a competent court of law.”
He called on President Muhammadu Buhari, Inspector General of Police, DG of SSS, DG of NIA, Chief of Army Staff and anybody in custody of Fulani persons on the allegations of any offence to charge them to court.
He further appealed for the sentencing of any Fulani found guilty and discharge of those found innocent.
“Let Federal Government set up a committee and go round the nation’s prisons, police stations, cells, or any security stations, you will find that 40% to 50% of detainees are Fulani tribe who are accused of various offences largely criminals charges. By charging the suspect to court, we can be seen as true democratic country where rule of law is respected,” he said.
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