Ethnic profiling of Fulani women by Ondo Amotekun threatens national unity – ACF

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has warned that alleged ethnic profiling by a security outfit in Ondo State could undermine national unity and worsen tensions across the country.

The forum made its position known in a statement issued by the chairman of its Board of Trustees, Alhaji Bashir M. Dalhatu, following a viral video allegedly showing operatives of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, known as Amotekun, arresting and publicly parading some women identified as Hausa/Fulani residents in the state.

ACF described the reported incident as unconstitutional and discriminatory, insisting that no Nigerian should be treated as a stranger in any part of the country.

“No agency of government, whether federal, state or local, has the right to treat citizens as outsiders in their own country because of ethnicity,” ACF said.

It also faulted alleged claims that the women were threatened with deportation, stressing that such action has no legal backing in Nigeria.

“Every Nigerian has the right to live, move and work freely in any part of the country, and no authority is empowered to deport citizens from one state to another,” ACF stated.

The forum expressed concern that the women involved were reportedly going about lawful activities before the incident, adding that public humiliation based on ethnicity was unacceptable in a democratic society.

While acknowledging the security challenges facing the country, ACF urged security agencies to focus on intelligence-led policing rather than profiling entire groups.

“Entire communities cannot be criminalised because of the actions of a few individuals. That approach is unjust and dangerous to national peace,” it warned.

The forum further cautioned that such incidents could deepen mistrust among ethnic groups and threaten Nigeria’s long-standing unity.

It called on the Ondo State Government to investigate the matter, clarify the circumstances and sanction any officials found culpable.

ACF also urged the Federal Government, security agencies and the National Human Rights Commission to look into the allegations and ensure that the rights of affected persons are protected.