The South-East leader of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria and Sarkin Fulani, Anambra State, Alhaji Gidado Siddiki, has said that Fulanis are the most kidnapped tribe in Nigeria.
According to him, this is contrary to the impression many people have, as they see Fulani herders as criminals.
Siddiki, who insists that there are no killer herders in the Miyetti Allah fold, explains in an interview with ‘Saturday Punch’:
“There is nothing like killer herdsmen. The ones they call killer herdsmen are not herdsmen, we don’t know them and we don’t know where they are coming from. You can only identify what is part of you. Those so-called killer herdsmen are not part of us. Let me say this, the Fulani are the most kidnapped tribe in Nigeria. Before they kidnap one person from other tribes, they would have kidnapped 10 Fulani and they are made to sell their cows to pay ransom. Because they know that the Fulani have cows, they go inside the bush and pick them, tell them to sell their cows and pay ransom. This is why in the next few years, cows will go into extinction in Nigeria.”
“You know this cattle rearing is a business anybody can do. So many Igbo people are rearing cows, even here in Anambra, I know a lot of them. But now if they say “killer herdsmen,” people only point the finger at Fulani herders, which is not proper. Herdsmen are businessmen, why are they calling us “killer herdsmen”? This is defamatory and derogatory. This profiling has made people to be suspecting us and it is not fair. We, the Fulani, we rear cows, but it is not only Fulani that do this business, every other tribe rears cows too.”
