On Monday, the sociocultural organization Miyetti Allah Kauta Hore urged President Bola Tinubu to consider dialogue as the “best option in addressing the current issue in Niger Republic.”
Any announcement of military action, according to the group, would have “devastating effects in the Sahel and sub-Saharan Africa with detrimental impact on Fulani pastoralists in particular,” according to a communiqué issued at the conclusion of its Annual General Meeting in Abuja.
In a statement that was co-signed by its National Secretary, Saleh Alhassan, and National President, Abdullahi Bodejo, the group asked for the establishment of a “Ministry of Nomadic Affairs” by state governors while also denouncing the extrajudicial deaths of pastoralists.
“Delegates commended Muhammed Bago, the governor of Niger State, for establishing the Ministry of Nomadic Affairs and urged other governments to follow suit.
Delegates strongly condemn the ongoing profiling of the Fulani people by some media outlets, especially on social media, and call on the media to check the accuracy of their reports before publishing them or face facing legal repercussions.
Delegates express disapproval at the country’s security agencies’ ongoing extrajudicial executions of Fulani pastoralists, and Badejo urged the National Human Rights Commission to look into these crimes and see that justice was done.
The group added that it had supported the creation of the “Miyetti Allah Vigilante” security group, which will “assist security agencies in curbing criminalities such as cattle rustling, kidnapping, and rural banditry,” and that it had also supported the introduction of a dress code for all of its members as a way to preserve the Fulani culture.
