It is deeply troubling that almost every crime anywhere in Nigeria is tagged as the work of Fulani – Bashir Ahmed
Former presidential aide, Bashir Ahmad, has criticized the widespread labeling of all crimes in Nigeria as the work of Fulani people.
In a post on X, he acknowledged the existence of criminal elements among Fulani herdsmen but condemned the blanket blame, which erases other causes of conflicts. He also noted that Hausa people, who are often victims, face similar misrepresentation.
Ahmad urged Fulani voices to counter these harmful narratives, emphasizing that every ethnic group has both good and bad individuals.
‘’I am not in any way trying to excuse the obvious atrocities being committed by some criminal elements among the Fulani herdsmen in parts of this country. Those heinous acts are wholeheartedly condemnable and should be decisively addressed with the full force of the law. However, it is deeply troubling that almost every crime committed in the North, South, East, West, and anywhere in Nigeria today is automatically tagged as the work of “Fulani.”
We seem to have completely erased the existence of communal clashes, personal disputes, and other criminal acts, everything is now blamed on the Fulani. Worse still, by extension, northerners, especially Hausa, who are also victims of the same atrocities, are viewed through that same lens. Very bad!
Strong Fulani voices need to speak up more to counter these dangerous and false narratives that are being pushed across every corner of this country. The growing trend of this blanket labeling has unfortunately led to increased hate and misunderstanding, with many innocent people bearing the brunt of the stereotypes.
The truth is, every tribe, Fulani, Yoruba, Igbo, Tiv, Ijaw, and others, has both good and bad people. No group is exempt from that reality. It is, therefore, unjust to judge the many good and peaceful Fulani people based on the actions of the bad elements among them.”
