The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, has urged Nigerians not to describe kidnappers, bandits and terrorists as Fulani herdsmen, saying criminals should be identified simply as criminals, regardless of their ethnic background.
He spoke on Wednesday at the opening of the 2026 National Conference of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in Abuja, where he also pledged that Fulani communities would work with security agencies to remove criminals from their settlements.
“I want to assure all Nigerians that we mean well for everybody in Nigeria. We mean no harm to anybody,” the Sultan said.
He said the actions of a few criminals should not be used to judge millions of peaceful Fulani people.
“Call them criminals who are abducting people, engaging in kidnapping, terrorism and whatever. In every family, you have bad people and you have good people. I happen to belong to the family of good people,” he added.
The Sultan pledged the support of Fulani communities in the fight against insecurity.
“We assure the President and all other stakeholders that we are 100 per cent ready to work with him and other security agencies to flush out criminals from our enclaves,” he said.
He also praised President Bola Tinubu for establishing the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, describing it as an important step towards the growth of Nigeria’s livestock sector. He urged Nigerians to understand one another better in order to promote peaceful coexistence.
Earlier, MACBAN National President Baba Othman Ngelzarma condemned terrorism, kidnapping, banditry and cattle rustling. He said no ethnic group or occupation should be blamed for the crimes of a few individuals.
“Criminals must never be identified with any ethnic group, religion or occupation. Those who violate the law must be dealt with according to the law, while peaceful and law-abiding citizens must be protected without discrimination,” Ngelzarma said.
He added that MACBAN would continue to encourage its members to share useful information with security agencies and reject all forms of criminality.
‘Criminal herders should not be used to judge peaceful Fulani people’ — Sultan