Nigeria: Fulani herdsmen threaten to set up their own militia

Islamic oppression Nigeria | 08 September 2022

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria has stated that it will set up its “own security outfit” in reaction to Governor Ortom’s inauguration of a 500 man strong Community Guard Force to protect communities in Benue State from attacks by armed Fulani herdsmen.

As reported by ICIR Nigeria on 4 September 2022, Governor Ortom inaugurated a 500 man strong Community Guard Force to protect communities in Benue State from attacks by armed Fulani herdsmen on 4 August 2022. However, he has had to write to President Buhari requesting permission for the force to bear arms. Meanwhile, as reported by ICIR Nigeria on 29 August 2022, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria has stated that it will set up its “own security outfit” in reaction to Governor Ortom’s action and could enlist “millions”.

Frans Veerman, Managing Director of World Watch Research, comments: “Armed Fulani herdsmen have been operating for years under the protection of the Miyetti Allah association. They are the very reason for the high levels of insecurity facing so many communities in Benue State and elsewhere. If government forces were deployed in such a way as to prevent all forms of attack on the villages, there would never have been a need to establish the Community Guard Force in the first place. Attacks by armed Fulani have continued right through 2022, with a particularly violent phase in April, when an estimated ten villages in Plateau state were attacked simultaneously, causing the death of 142 people. International Christian Concern (ICC) pointed out: ‘In addition to killing and abducting villagers, they burned down at least 100 homes, destroyed farmlands, looted barns, and stole livestock’ (ICC, 28 April 2022).”

Frans Veerman concludes: “It would seem that the comments made by the Miyetti Allah spokesman are simply window-dressing, if not a form of Islamic taqiyya. His words, which barely hide an outright hatred for Governor Ortom, are chilling for vulnerable Nigerians in Benue State and beyond – and in particular, for Christians. Who will hold Miyetti Allah to account?”