By Ameen Ayinla-Ilorin
Over 3000 cows have been rustled across four local government areas of Kwara State in the last two months, following the lingering kidnapping and banditry attacks on local communities, the state chapter of the Miyetti Allah Fulaku Yeso Yeso Development Association (MAFYDA) has said.
This came as the association alleged hostilities against its people who fled to safe neighbouring communities away from their troubled settlements arising from the onslaught of bandits visited on them.
The state Chairman of MAFYDA, Alhaji Ali Mohammed Jonwuro, disclosed this at an emergency meeting of the association held in Ilorin with victims of cattle rustling and kidnapping in attendance.
He listed the local government areas to include Edu, Patigi, Ifelodun, and Irepodun.
Jonwuro, who spoke on the sidelines of the meeting, said it is unfortunate and disheartening to finger members of the Fulani tribe as the culprits behind insecurity in Kwara South when they are the victims of ferocious attacks by the criminals in reality.
He explained that N10million remains the least amount of money paid as ransom to secure the release of members of the association, who fell victim to the kidnapping ring.
Tracing the genesis of the insecurity ravaging the southern and northern parts of the state, the MAFYDA chief attributed it to the inability of some community leaders to conduct thorough background checks on strangers coming to settle in their various communities.
Jonwuro said the attitude of singling out the Fulani tribe for vilification as perpetrators of criminal acts of kidnapping and banditry must cease, insisting that the commission of crime transcends ethnic inclination.
He cautioned that the act of tribalizing criminality would only exacerbate the situation and called on security agencies to unmask the masterminds of attacks on his people swiftly.
The MAFYDA chairman appealed to the state government through the Emir of Ilorin, Dr Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, to prevail on communities that had shown hostilities toward his people fleeing from troubled settlements to accommodate them.
He stated that members of his association are the worst hit in the wake of the security challenges, as many of them have had to pay ransom to kidnappers, while others have had their cattle rustled.
Jonwuro said, “Across the four local government areas of Edu, Patigi, Ifelodun, and Irepodun, more than 50 of our people have been kidnapped. The least ransom our people paid to the kidnappers is N10million. Some of the kidnap victims were not even released after paying the ransom.
“In the four local government areas, we have lost more than 3000 cows to rustlers. This is besides other animals rustled and millions of naira paid to the kidnappers. Our people who fled from troubled communities were asked to return to where they came from, not minding that they lost their loved ones to these bandits.
“So, we want to use this opportunity to appeal to the Emir of Ilorin to help us prevail on the Governor to intercede for us on the hostilities in some communities against our people. We don’t know where to go again because we are overwhelmed. Many people don’t know that we (Fulani) are the most affected by the activities of these bandits.
“Some people in our fold are indeed criminals, but it is not a peculiar situation. We have criminally minded people, too, in other tribes. We have also had a situation where some monarchs in the southern part of the state accommodated strangers, especially those running away from Zamfara State. In some communities, they allowed the strangers into their midst while claiming that our people who have been living with them for decades are not useful.”
Also speaking, the Secretary of the state chapter of Miyetti Allah Fulaku Yeso Yeso Development Association (MAFYDA), Muhammad Abdullahi Lamido, decried the habit of stigmatizing his people on account of their tribal affiliation.
He pleaded with the state government to establish Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps to settle members of the association who have been rendered homeless as a result of the banditry attacks.
“We received complaints from our people who fled their communities in Patigi, Edu, Ifelodun, and Irepodun local government areas, where they faced the issue of banditry and kidnapping. There are many people from those communities, both Yoruba and Fulani, who fled to the nearest communities. These people, who are not Fulani but had their families there, were accommodated. Unfortunately, our people who are Fulani complained that they were not being accommodated; that they were being stigmatized.
“Because they came from the affected areas, those who could have ordinarily accommodated them, see them (the Fulani) as part of those committing the heinous crime. Even if some of them are committing the crime, are all of them? Our people are even the victims of kidnapping and banditry.
“We have a long list of our people whose cattle had been rustled while their families were also kidnapped. They paid ransom to secure the release of the people kidnapped, while others are yet to be released, even after paying ransom. So, this is one of the reasons this association called for this emergency meeting to let the public be aware of the challenges that the Fulani are facing, so that they will help.
“With this, they can also receive help from the government. The government should please provide a means of accommodating these Fulani, they are also Nigerians and peace lovers. Most of them are not well-oriented on how to lodge complaints. The government should help provide Internally Displaced People (IDP) Camps for our people who are affected,” Lamido said.
The Director, Media MAFYDA, Sheikh Dan-Fulani Modibbo, described as shameful the inability of the government and security agencies to track those behind banditry and kidnapping, using modern information technology.
He, however, urged the government to make a law forbidding the media houses from profiling any ethnic group when suspects have not been identified and arrested for the commission of any crime.
Edited by Binta Nuan
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