The National President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Abdullahi Bello Bodejo has opened up on the reason the group is setting up vigilantes in the 36 states.
According to Bodejo, the outfit is being set up to secure the safety of farmers and herders in the bush.
Speaking during an interview with The Sun, the Miyetti Allah leader explained that the nomadic vigilantes will help in calming down the issues between herders and farmers.
He argued that Fulani herders are not responsible for the crisis in the country.
Bodejo claimed that some perpetrators sometimes use Fulani boys to commit crime.
Speaking further, he disclosed that the security outfit plans on collaborating with the police and Department of State Service (DSS).
According to him, “The reason for this nomadic vigilante is that all the farmers are doing their activities in the bush, and also the herdsmen’s areas of operation are in the bush. This security outfit can secure the farmers and the herders, and we can ask them to collaborate with any farmer in the bush to secure his farm. The Fulani are also into farming like other people; they are farming and also rearing their cows. About 75 per cent of the herders are also farmers.
“When you see somebody shouting that Fulani did this and that, such a person doesn’t understand how Nigeria is today. Herders and farmers are in the bushes doing their activities. This nomadic vigilante would really help to calm down the problem between the farmers and herders. They will protect both the farmers and the herdsmen.
“People are accusing Fulani herders of being responsible for the crisis in the country, which is not true. There is crisis everywhere, people who are under the influence of drugs engage in kidnapping, robbery. Check very well, if there is any Fulani boy among them, they would give him a very insignificant amount from the ransom they collected. Some people are using the Fulani boys to commit crime and that is why with this nomadic vigilante, we intend to stamp out this crime. We intend to collaborate with the army, police and DSS so that the nomadic vigilantes can lead them into the bushes to arrest criminals.
“The Fulani herders have suffered enough in the hands of kidnappers; they have been killed, their children and wives have been raped in their presence, but they are scared to face these kidnappers, but with this nomadic vigilante in collaboration with the security agencies, they would comb everywhere in the bushes and forests to arrest kidnappers.”
