By OBSERVERS TIMES
Saleh Alhassan, National Secretary of the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore Fulani Socio-cultural Association, has accused politicians—not herders—of being the true instigators behind the ongoing crisis in Plateau State.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday, Alhassan addressed national security concerns and the herder-farmer conflicts that have plagued Nigeria’s Middle Belt. He challenged the widely held narrative that foreign herders are responsible for the violence, dismissing it as misleading and politically motivated.
“The foreign herder narrative is a ploy to undermine Nigerian herders and a barrier to peace,” Alhassan said. “The root causes of crises in Plateau are political, not related to grazing or land use. For example, the conflict in Bokkos began over a motorcycle theft but has been portrayed as a farmer-herder clash for political ends.”
Alhassan further accused Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang of continuing the political agenda of his predecessor, Jonah Jang, aimed at pushing herders out of the state. He also condemned the use of ethnic militias disguised as vigilantes, which he said forces otherwise peaceful herders to defend themselves.
“Herders are not involved in banditry. But when law enforcement ignores these militias, herders have little choice but to protect themselves,” he stressed.
With elections approaching, Alhassan suggested that some politicians exploit insecurity for personal gain. “The timing of these conflicts is suspicious. This isn’t even the cropping season in Plateau, yet the herder-farmer clash narrative is resurfacing. We must confront criminality directly, without ethnic bias.”
Herders as Victims of Violence
Alhassan insisted that herders, often unarmed, are frequently the primary victims in these conflicts. He cited recent attacks in Plateau and Benue states, where herders have been kidnapped or assaulted by armed bandits, yet are wrongly blamed for the violence.
“Our herders are not armed. The criminals in our forests are bandits, not herders. We have lost countless herders and livestock, yet accusations persist,” he said, adding that images of armed herders circulating online are often from outside Nigeria.
He called for greater recognition of herders’ suffering, noting, “Security agencies find it convenient to blame herders rather than address the real causes. If arrests are made, authorities should verify suspects’ nationalities, not just their language.”
While Miyetti Allah maintains a register of its members, Alhassan acknowledged the difficulties in tracking nomadic herders. He advocated for integrating livestock management systems nationwide as a long-term solution to the herder-farmer crisis.
Renewed Violence and Political Responses
Alhassan’s remarks come amid renewed violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. In April 2025, attacks in Bokkos and Bassa LGAs of Plateau State claimed over 100 lives, following the devastating Christmas Eve massacre of 2023 that killed at least 150 people.
In Benue State, Governor Hyacinth Alia recently claimed the attackers were foreigners, citing their unfamiliar language and appearance. Governor Mutfwang similarly noted the assailants’ inability to speak any recognized Nigerian language, fueling suspicions about their origins.
President Bola Tinubu has expressed concern over the escalating violence, urging Governor Mutfwang to take decisive action to restore peace. The President also called for unity among political, community, and religious leaders to prevent retaliatory violence.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Senate has established an ad-hoc committee to organize a two-day national security summit in Abuja. The summit will convene federal, state, and local officials alongside traditional leaders and other stakeholders to develop sustainable solutions to Nigeria’s security challenges.
