Governor Mohammed Bago of Niger State has charged Fulani community leaders in the state to work with security agencies to fish out criminals within their communities, warning that continued silence over banditry and kidnapping is fueling public anger against Fulanis.
The governor gave the charge in Hausa while addressing Fulani leaders in a viral video which surfaced on Friday.
Bago urged the leaders to encourage their kinsmen involved in criminal activities to abandon crime and return home, noting that most kidnap victims who regain freedom often identify their abductors as Fulani.
“My relatives, I will not be afraid of you; I had better tell you this. Whoever gets kidnapped in the bush and is later released will say it was Fulanis who kidnapped him,” Bago said.
“So, you should warn your children who are in the bush to return so that we can live peacefully. There is no way people can be kidnapped and made to pay ransom without expecting them to be angry with you.”
He said public frustration was growing because some community members failed to report armed men infiltrating from neighbouring Zamfara State and other areas, thereby deepening distrust.
“People are angry with Fulanis. No one is stopping you from grazing, going to school, or staying peacefully, yet you know your children are doing bad things to people. Even if they are not caught, you will eventually face the consequences,” he added.
The governor advised Fulani leaders to disown and report criminal elements in their midst rather than shielding them, and to cooperate fully with security operatives.
Bago also issued a stern warning to farmers against cultivating along government roads, saying he had directed that any crops planted between the main road and electricity poles should be destroyed.
“Between the main government road and the power poles, where no farmer is supposed to plant, I have given an order that if any farmer plants between the main road and the power poles, you should let the animals eat the crops and arrest the farmer.
“You have your own designated land, planting close to the main road only shows you are looking for trouble,” he said.
He further cautioned vigilante groups against taking the law into their own hands, urging them to concentrate on securing border communities, and called on traditional rulers to regulate religious preaching in their domains.
Bago warned that anyone using sermons to cause division among Muslims or between Muslims and Christians should be arrested.
“Also, this Emirate should set boundaries for our preachers. Lakurawa come and create trouble among you in the name of preaching, but they are just lying.
“Shehu Usman Danfodio is the man who laid the foundation for Islam here, yet they are against him. Which books have they read, and where did they study?
“Even if they come to the Jum’at mosque to preach, arrest them. His Royal Highness, I give permission, whoever preaches to divide Muslims, or to divide Muslims and Christians, should be arrested, and we will take them to prison,” the governor said.
