ulani Pastoralists Face “Near-Genocide” in Nigeria, Miyetti Allah Warns
The Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, a Fulani socio-cultural group, has raised alarm over what it describes as sustained and deadly attacks on Fulani pastoralists in Nigeria over the past 25 years, calling the situation “the closest thing to genocide” in the country.
Speaking on Channels TV on Thursday, the association’s National Secretary, Engr. Saleh Alhassan, dismissed claims of Christian genocide in Nigeria as attempts to attract foreign aid.
He said, “If we are being truthful, the only real case resembling genocide in Nigeria is the systematic targeting of Fulani pastoralists over the last 25 years—from Plateau to Benue, Zamfara, and Kebbi. Pastoralists have been killed, displaced, and some state governments even passed laws criminalising their way of life.”
Alhassan condemned media narratives that, in his view, misrepresent the situation. He stressed that Fulani communities have repeatedly been attacked and vilified in multiple states.
“As a peace-promoting organisation, we support government efforts aimed at achieving lasting peace nationwide,” he added.
The secretary also criticized what he called “genocide town criers,” individuals and groups seeking international attention and foreign aid. He referred to a bishop who reportedly took reports of violence in Benue to the United States, claiming, “He is pursuing foreign aid without providing proper context to the conflict.”
He questioned why local institutions such as the National Human Rights Commission and the Senate are often bypassed in favor of international bodies.
“The Senate invited organisations to submit solutions on the farmer-herder crisis. Yet, we have not been called to discuss these memoranda,” he said.
Alhassan further claimed that attacks on pastoralists have intensified since remarks by former U.S. President Donald Trump. He cited recent incidents in Kebbi, Niger, and Benue states, alleging that pastoralists were targeted by locals without any response from security agencies or media.
“Attacks in Kebbi and Niger states went unaddressed. In Benue’s Ohimini Local Government, pastoralists were attacked for crimes they did not commit,” he said.
He also argued that pastoralists are often wrongly blamed for conflicts. “In Benue, the pastoralists are accused first, yet investigations frequently show locals are responsible,” he explained.
Calling for a comprehensive security approach, Alhassan emphasized that the portrayal of herders as killers is misleading. “While a few herders may be involved in conflicts, it is false to depict them as out to kill and destroy. That is not the narrative,” he added.
His remarks come amid escalating security challenges in the region, including banditry, kidnapping, and farmer-herder clashes that have disrupted livelihoods. In the last two weeks alone, over 350 people were abducted, and at least seven were killed.
Significant attacks include school invasions in Kebbi and Niger states, resulting in the abduction of more than 300 students and teachers, and the kidnapping of 38 worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State, during a church attack that left three dead.
The Miyetti Allah official called for national attention to ensure the protection of pastoralist communities. 
