By Emmanuel Gandu
HIGHLIGHTS
• Introduction
• Who are the fulani?
• Why do they have a penchant for killing people?
• Jihad and Usman Dan Fodio
• Is the general profiling of the fulani tribe as terrorists appropriate?
• Fulani Ancestry
• Expansionist strategy of the Fulani
• Modus Operandi of the Fulani
• Effects of Fulani killings of Nigerians:
-Food inflation
-National insecurity
-Investment flight from Nigeria
-National economic crisis
• Suggested solution strategies :
-Dialogue
-Education/Orientation
-Ban Open Grazing
-Arm all security agencies
-Ranches establishment for all types of animals
-Grazing reserves establisment for all types of animals
-Rehabilitation of victims of herder/farmer clashes
-Sedentary lifestyle law enactment for Nomads.
INTRODUCTION
The fulani phenomenon in a compromised and catastrophic violent Nigeria is unacceptable, highly regretable and inhuman in the 21st century.
For an entire fulani race to remain silent in the face of rising cases of killings across the country smacks of complicity, treason, and terrorism.
The mere mention of the name “Fulani” or “Herdsmen” sends shivers down the spines of every Nigerian. Farmers, security personnel, health care providers, government officials, and community leaders have various “tales of the unexpected” to tell about the kind of violent extremism exhited by the fulani herdsmen militia on the Nigerian citizens.
From the North through the Middle Belt and down to the South, there is no respite from the series of gruesome murders/attacks on innocent people in their homes and on their farmlands. Arson, murder, rape is their stock in trade. They rip open the stomacks of pregnant women to ensure that even the unborn babies do not survive the onslaught. Anarchy is let loose on the land while various successive governments stand by and watch helplessly.
If one may enquire,
• Who are the Fulani ?
• What do the fulani want ?
• Why do the enjoy killing people ?
• What is their modus operandi ?
• Is it in their DNA to exterminate life ?
• Are they Nigerians ?
• What must be done to stop their thirst for blood ?
This discourse is an attempt to contribute to expose, highlight, and inform the public. It will also contribute in suggesting some level of solution to the problem of the menace of the killings perpetrated by this terrorist fulani group that has reached an unprecedented, frightening and alarming proportion in the history of tribal conflict in Nigeria.
FULANI ANCESTRY
Fulani is an ethnic group spread across many countries, but predominantly in Central Africa, West Africa, and East Africa. Their population is of major significance in Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea, Gambia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Central African Republic, Cameroon, and Burkina Faso.
The Fulani speak Fula or Fulbe language, and are traditionally a nomadic pastoralists herding cattle, sheep and goats across borders and into the hinterlands.
They keep seperate lives and lifestyles from the local indigenous farming / agricultural population.
The origin of the Fulani is traced to the Berber people of North Africa around the 8th – 11th century AD from where they migrated and spread across regions.
They were the first group of people in West Africa to convert to Islam.
Through Jihad (Holy War) they were able to take much of West Africa especially the Hausa pagan territories and towns.
Interestingly to them, and unfortunately for others, the Fulani have established themselves not only as a religious, tribal, but also as a political, economic, and a fighting force in defence of their cause.
As a result, they have continued to forcefully conquer, and occupy much of West Africa including Nigerian territory.
In 1804 Usman Dan Fodio, a fierce, studious, and Charismatic Muslim Fulani Scholar began preaching reformist ideology in the Hausa Kingdoms of West and Central Africa. His movement became a revolution, and seing himself as God’s instrument, he preached and launched Jihad against the Hausa Kings whom he felt were not following the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed. A great upheaval ensued during which the Fulani took control of most of the Hausa States in Northern Nigeria and elsewhere.
A new kingdom based on the city of Sokoto known as ‘Sokoto Caliphate’ emerged as the headquarters of the Fulani empire in Nigeria.
This led to the establishment of the Sokoto caliphate’s hegemony over Northern Nigeria (excluding the Borno Empire and most parts of the Middle Belt).
The Sokoto Caliphate included areas especially in Emirates of Kano, Zaria, Katsina, Daura, Dutse, and Ilorin who’s rulers became Fulani Emirs under the provinces within the Sokoto caliphate.
EXPANSIONIST STRATEGY OF THE FULANI
As part of their expansionist strategies, the Fulani first move into an area and tended to be peaceful. The local indigenous people gives them land on lease or as grants where the cattle droppings as manure serves as batter.
With the passage of time, the number of new Fulani arrivals increase by multiple.
This influx is fuelled by larger migration aggravated by the practice of seasonal movement and trans humance across several countries in search of pasture and water for their cattle.
Consequently Fulani resentment at being ruled and dictated to by ‘pagans’ soon become issues of disagreement with the indigenous host communities/land owners. Besides, grazing land for their cattle progressively become issues of violent conflict with the host community.
MODUS OPERANDI OF THE FULANI
According to Zackarys Gundu, a
Professor of Archeology, Ahmadu Bello University,
Fulani feudalism is real and it is why we cannot reason same way.
What Islam means to the Fulani is ‘occupation and usurpation of the conquered by Fulani orligarchy kingdom.’
But what Islam means to others is Religion.
Gundu emphasised that the Fulani MUST lead the prayer over Hausa or any other tribe.
The Fulani may take the sons of Hausa, castrate them and use them as domestic guard over his harem of women. No Nigerian court system nor press has ever inquired into this.
He goes furthe to educate the public that it is sacrilege for Hausa to raise his voice over or against Fulani man.
Hausa man’s luck in anything must come from Fulani. Else, he is a SLAVE forever!.
Every Fulani is encouraged to speak also Hausa but Hausas hardly learn Fulfulde.
• FULANI claim the right to belong or rule any Northern State or territory.
Hausa has no right to own land except as a tenant of the local chief who incidentally is answerable to the fulani Emir. The Hausa man must pay rents in form of farm produce every year. This is called ‘Jangali’
•All Emirs are Fulani. Most Governors and Senators in Hausa populated territories are Fulani. Most ministerial and juicy appointments under each successive government are systematically handed to people of Fulani extraction who are residing in different states in the North. Fulani would rather support Igbo or Yoruba for the office of President rather than Hausa for fear of Hausa rising to position of power and influence that will alter the status quo. Fulani will never gamble with this.
• Before the Jihad conquest, Hausas were never Muslims. They had their cultures & traditions like any other Nigerian tribe But now, the fulani oligarchy ensure that it is forgoten.
• The ease of inflicting strong Sharia by the North is a ploy to retain the CHAIN of control over the Hausa.
Those who chose to stay in the South most early are mostly Hausas, but a Fulani would soon come and colonize them as Emir. So, they lose their freedom and identity.
Only few Hausas are able to escape totally and blend into other tribes through marriage etc.
As such, CASTE system is being run in Nigeria by Fulani against the Hausa.
When a Fulani starts a trade or business including transportation, wholesale of goods etc, all his employees are mostly Hausa who are regarded as slaves and dare not steal or refuse to labour cheaply. It is a sacrilege for an Hausa to rise against him in competition.
When land & liberty is not inherited from your 3rd or more generation, do you still wonder the result of poverty among these Hausas rightly labelled as TALAKAWAS? It is a caste system.
• Each time you struggle for the NIGERIA project, the preoccupation of the Fulani is how to preserve the North from being snatched away from them.
All your governmental apparatus mean nothing to Fulani. For example, you know very well how Hausa is dying in silence under Fulani stranglehold.
If Fulani perpetrates gargantuan political/ corruption/crime over you, and you shout HAUSA????or at best Hausa/Fulani. It please them because that’s the name they coined to mask who they really are. It is now that people are waking up to these deceitful strangers.
• In psychology and sociology, MASTERS/CONQUERORS have no feelings for anything they do against their SLAVES! So, next time you see anyone gets away with dastardly acts, know that he is either a Fulani or working for Fulani interests.
• One of the greatest evil in Nigeria is that the entire Hausa race are oppressed without any ray of hope, yet others mostly from the south never know or care about their true identity and suffering.
The greatest offence that Awolowo commited was not anything more than saying: “I will educate the TALAKAWAS” (Hausa “slaves”) and they will realise themselves and rise against you”. Jonathan joined in the mistake when he announced his Almajiri program!
The only intermittent respite experienced in Nigerian political space is only when a Fulani ally is fighting Fulani interests as in the case of Abacha against the Caliphate when he tried to change the oligarchical power and control in the North from Sultan of Sokoto to Shehu of Borno (of Kanuri tribe). Abacha, though a tough military general, paid for this.
• You now know WHO & WHY THEY DO NOT WANT YOU TO STUDY HISTORY IN SCHOOLS AGAIN!!!! Nigerian Professors of History know more about Europe and America than Nigeria.
You can now know why no one is encouraging the ALMAJIRIS to be educated and liberated. They are young slaves in the hand of the Fulani Imams who discourage them from going to school.
• Next time you see POVERTY in the North, take a good look around to also see that there’s an Alhaji nearby in sprawling wealth! He OWNS them. This is how it works for them. But one fact you should also take note is that all the almajiri boys in Nigeria are Hausa by tribe. There is no fulani child doing Almajiri.
• What about the emerging powers of even the Normadic Fulani? Uthman Dan Fodio invited them from Futa Jalon and other fulani countries in 1804 to fight the Jihad battle that conquered most of the North West geo-political region into what we know today as the Sokoto Caliphate. The allegiance remains that they protect the interests of one another. GREATER THREAT IS THAT CHILDREN OF NORMADIC FULANIS (Cattle rearers) NOW WANT TO SETTLE DOWN.
• The unending killings and land occupation in Benue state, Plateau state, Southern Kaduna and other parts of the Middle Belt by Fulani herdsmen under the watchful eyes of the government is a pointer to this fact.
• Let your children know the NIGERIA they are born into and her political consequences. *There’s nothing like RELIGIOUS consequences in Nigeria.* (Know this). RELIGION as far as Fulani is concerned is a political tool of oligarchic and political control. When next you want to liberate Nigeria from the Fulani, or cut away part of it, remember that FULANI say that Nigeria belongs to them. After all, they have the FOOT SOLDIERS – the fulani herdsmen.
• Every Fulani from outside Nigeria can come here to get more rights and privileges over YOU.
These are the basic principles and pattern of fulani ethnic violence, domination, occupation, and forceful land grabbing employed by the fulanis over the ages.
EFFECTS OF FULANI KILLINGS OF NIGERIANS
1. FOOD INFLATION:
The Middle Belt being the most affected by the fulani killings is the food basket of Nigeria. And since farmers cannot produce, Nigeria is undergoing acute food scarcity and hunger.
According to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS),
from 2022, food prices began to experience increases faster than in any year years since 1979. This food inflation rate in Nigeria from 2022 is reflected thus :
• June 2023 = 25.25%
• August 2023 = 29.89%
• February 2024 = 37.92%
• June 2024 = 40.87%
The figures from NBS reveals that cost of food in Nigeria increased by 21.26% in April 2025 over the same month in the previous year of 2024, thereby reaching an all time high from 1996.
According to the ‘Cadre Harmonise’ food security report of March 2025, nearly 31 million Nigerians across 26 states are expected to face acute hunger and food insecurity by June – August 2025.
Unfortunately, instead of increasing agricultural productivity, Tinubu’s policy makers choose palliatives and interventions that rarely trickle down to the suffering masses of the people.
Most importantly, Tinubu’s administration have either failed, or lack the political will to realise that no food security can exist without human security.
2. NATIONAL INSECURITY:
Despite the efforts of successive administrations in high allocation of funds to the Ministry of Defence, it had been a herculean task to stem the tide of killings, kidnapping, banditry and other forms of criminality in Nigeria.
This is the breakdown of the 2025 Ministry of Defence Budget,
the highest ever in the history of Nigeria.
A whopping sum of #6.57 trillion was allocated in the 2025 Security and Defence Budget. The details are :
• Personnel cost – #4.07 trillion
• Capital expenditure – #1.50 trillion
• Overhead cost – #642.55 billion
A breakdown of the budget allocations to the various sectors of the Security and Defence shows :
1. Ministry of Defense – #3.10 trillion
2. Ministry of Police Affairs – #1.31 trillion
3. Ministry of Interior(Immigration, Civil Defense, etc) – #1.11 trillion
4. National Security Adviser – #690.84 billion
5. Service Wide Votes – #638.34 billion
6. Police Service Commission – #2.56 billion
The breakdown of the #3.10 trillion allocated to the Ministry of Defence in the 2025 budget shows the following :
(I) Nigerian Army – #1.48 trillion
(II) Nigerian Navy – #442.52 billion
(III) Nigerian Airforce – #376.78 billion
(IV) Defence Headquarters – #257.06 billion
(V) Nigerian Defence Academy – #37.15 billion
(VI) National Defence College – #26.58 billion
(VII) Defence Research and Development Bureau – 10.6 billion.
These high increases in the budgetary allocations were intended to eliminate the rising cases of insecurity in Nigeria experienced from 2015 to 2025
However, across Nigeria especially in Borno, Benue, and Plateau states, Southern Kaduna, Zamfara and Niger states, entire towns, villages and communities have been taken over by terrorists, herdsmen and bandits. They continue to capture and occupy territory, destroy homes, farmlands and crops.
Lamentably, the 2025 security budgets of the 19 Northern states where insecurity is worst is indicative of poor attitude to investment on security. A situation where Lagos state which has little to worry about insecurity budgets more funds to security than any of the 3 geo political zones in the North lives much to be desired :
North Central – #95 billion
North West – #65 billion
North East – #55 billion
Lagos state – #124 billion.
3. INVESTORS FLIGHT FROM NIGERIA TO SAFER COUNTRIES
4. NIGERIA UNDER HARD ECONOMIC CRISIS
5. COLLAPSE OF MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES
THE VIOLENCE AND KILLINGS ACROSS NIGERIA CANNOT CONTINUE
This mass killings perpetrated by the fulani herders cannot be defended by a simple search for water and fodder for their cattle.
Nigeria cannot sacrifice the precious lives of her citizens on the altar of Fulani Hegemony. If anything, this has tragically bloodstained the entire country and God is not unmindful of the sanctity of human life as the innocents cry to the heavens for vengence.
Even in the African traditional religion, the gods are angry, the land must be cleansed, the gods must be appeased.
It is known that the primary function of any government is the protection of life and property, and this government and others before it have failed in its duty to do that. The bulk stops at the doorstep of the president of Nigeria. Therefore, for the administration of Ahmed Bola Tinubu to allow the continuous waste of Nigerian lives by fulanis who are alledged to have infiltrated the country from neighbouring countries leaves much to be desired.
SUGGESTED SOLUTION STRATEGIES
Due to lack of consensus between successive federal governments and affected states regarding the right methodology for curbing the menace of fulani herders violent killings of people across the country, the solution has remained elusive.
Unfortunately, the wide ethnic and religious differences between the herders who are predominantly Muslim and Fulani, and the indigenous land owners farmers who are predominantly Christians from the Middle Belt and the South is attributable to this lack of consensus towards finding a lasting solution.
However, government should cultivate the political will to halt the drift towards a full blown war, anarchy, and total breakdown of law and order.
Among the suggestions are :
(1) Dialogue:
Conflict resolution mechanisms like dialogue approaches at community levels are encouraged as this would lead to easy detection, forestall conflict escalation from individual to group levels, and from group levels to communal levels, building of mutual trust and relationships, highlighting obvious advantages of win-win situations among the different groups in terms of productivity, commercial income, profit maximization, revenue generation, poverty reduction, and conducive business environment for all parties.
(2) Orientation and education:
This is necessary for both herders and farmers most of whom are uneducated and uninformed about government laws, policies, and programmes. This would not only enhace peaceful coexistence, but will go a long way in difusing the critics of policies meant to make farmers keep the peace, as well as fulaniphobia propagandists. The orientation is very critical especially to the rural farmers, as well as the fulani herders who, according to Aliyu (2015) reported that 75% of them had no formal education.
Besides, continuous mass orientation, education, and senticization of herdsmen to instil the understanding that animal husbandry is a business and not a culture will help eliminate resort to brute force and killings in search of water and fodder in the lands of the farmers for their livestock
(3) Ban open grazing:
The Benue state Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establisment Law of 2017 enacted by the administration of Governor Samuel Ortom is the only such law in Nigeria meant to guarantee peace and order.
The federal government should as well enact this law and mandate all the 36 state governments and the federal capital territory to domesticate it accordingly.
Interestingly, this open grazing prohibition law of Benue state had achieved some measure of success in reducing herders/farmers clashes despite stiff opposition by herdsmen.
However, the unwillingness of the federally controlled security agencies in the implementation of the law in Benue state from the Muhammadu Buhari administration and the spill over into Bola Tinubu’s government does not encourage other states to enact the law in their domain. This had caused an unprecedented renewed influx of more fulani herders into Nigeria especially to the Middle Belt.
(4) Arming Nigerian security agencies against the killer herdsmen :
Security agencies including the Army, Air Force, Navy, Police, Civil Defence, DSS should arm their personnel against the heavily armed herdsmen in order to effectively police and secure vulnerable communities and farmers from constant attacks from herders who are generally believed to have invaded Nigeria from fulani neighbouring countries who take delight in wasting human lives, rape, destruction of crops, and forceful land occupation.
(5) Ranches establishment:
Ranches encourages large scale and healthy livestock breeding while allowing crop farming in secure environments that would guarantee maximum yield. Aside, this will eliminate the menace of cattle rustling, kidnapping, and banditry where the fulani herders are the perpetrators.
(6) Grazing reserves establishment :
Though almost similar to ranching, grazing reserves is a Gazetted and demarcated large green field for livestock rearing.
However, increasing population and urbanization may not allow for the luxury of large grazing reserves, but willing state governments may convert some of their forests and ungoverned spaces for this purpose.
(7) Rehabilitation and compensation of victims :
Victims of fulani herders killings in their thousands have been living in Internally Displaid People’s camps (IDP’s) for years un end. They have no homes to return to. Their children, most of them orphans do not have access to education, healthcare, and anything to make life meaningful.
Compensation/rehabilitation for them by the government will go a long way to heal the wounds of the conflict.
If government can spend billions of Dollars to rebuild villages affected by natural disasters, government can equally rebuild/rehabilited communities burnt down and devastated by fulani herdsmen.
Government should also pay compensation to livestock destroyed as a result of herder/farmer violence.
(8) Sedentary lifestyle law be enacted to make compliance mandatory for pastoralist. This will enable government conveniently take education, health care, water, electricity, roads and other facilities to the nomadic communities.
*Note : As there are bad and good people among the various tribes of Nigeria, so there are good and bad fulani people. Therefore, the bandwagon profiling of all Fulanis as terrorist is not appropriate, and is not intended in this discourse.
Peace 🙏
Follow us on all social media platforms @dailyquery for news and analyses around the globe.
