Christian Leaders in Nigeria’s Plateau State Back Secret Police, Oppose Fulani Petition

A diverse coalition of Christian groups says Fulani organizations are attempting to discredit Nigeria’s intelligence agency after the reported arrest of a suspected militia leader linked to attacks on Christian communities.

By Mike Odeh James

ABUJA — Christian ethnic groups in central Nigeria’s Plateau State say Muslim Fulani herder associations are smearing Nigeria’s domestice intelligence police (Department of State Services) to halt arrests of Fulani militia leaders.

A coalition of more than a dozen indigenous peoples, among them the Berom, Irigwe, Tarok, Afizere, Anaguta, Ron, Mushere and Mwaghavul, made the charge Oct. 21 at the Nigerian Union of Journalists secretariat in Abuja.

The quarrel is the latest round in a long contest between Plateau’s mostly Christian farming peoples and the Fulani tribe, often called the “herders,” who are overwhelmingly Muslim. Plateau State is a prominent member of the group called Nigeria’s Middle Belt, the seam between the Muslim north and Christian south, where armed herders have overrun Christian villages for two decades.

The Petition Controversy

The coalition’s target is a petition filed Oct. 5  for the Plateau chapters of three Fulani organizations. These include MACBAN, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Nigeria’s largest herders’ association; GAFDAN, the Gan Allah Fulani Development Association of Nigeria, a Fulani cultural group; and FUYODA a Fulani advocacy group.

Signed by lawyer Mudahid Abdullahi, the petition accuses the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria’s domestic intelligence agency, the Mobile Police and Operation Rainbow, Plateau’s state-backed security outfit, of killing and abducting Fulani, rustling cattle and poisoning herds. A companion video makes the same claims on Facebook.

In April, MACBAN’s Plateau chapter petitioned Gov. Caleb Mutfwang over cattle poisonings in Barkin Ladi county. Yet, the group’s national president, Baba Othman-Ngelzarma, has praised the DSS for distinguishing between law-abiding herders and criminals.

Ezekiel Peter Bini, a spokesman for the Christian coalition, denounced the Fulani petition.   “The said petition as well as the video in circulation is intended to distort the true narrative, thereby misinforming and misleading the Federal authorities,” according to a statement signed by Bini.

 Arrest Behind the Outcry

The coalition says the real trigger is the reported arrest of Mahmoud Adam, the ardo, or Fulani clan head, of the town of Mahanga, previously called Rankum, in Riyom county. It describes him as a ringleader of the Fulani Ethnic Militia (FEM), which some Western analysts have classified as a terrorist organization.

The Daily Caller, a Washington news site, reported Oct. 2 that Adam was seized before dawn on Sept. 12 at his compound. It cited a former U.S. intelligence officer confirming his alleged militia role and evidence 

Nigerian authorities have not publicly confirmed the arrest of Mahmoud Adam, any charges, or where Adam is held. 

The Christian tribal coalition says the petition aims to intimidate Paul Damian, the DSS director in Plateau, discredit the joint operations of security units and break the flow of intelligence from villages.

“To the best of our knowledge, Mr. Paul Damian, the Director DSS and, indeed, his agency, is not involved in killings, poisoning and/or rustling of cattle,” the Christian coalition statement stated.

Officers in the Line of Fire as ‘We Are Overrun’

DSS officers are credited by the coalition statement for defending villages from attack at the cost of their lives. On June 1, Fulani terrorists struck a newly deployed DSS base at Nding Sesut, Fan, in Barkin Ladi. On Aug. 23, more than 400 attackers stormed Tanjol and Tarai in Jol, killing two DSS officers. The attackers withdrew to Rankum, according to the coalition..

Mobile Police officers also have paid the ultimate price at Dares in Bokkos and Kwi in Riyom. Operation Rainbow’s operations officer, DSP David Babale, was ambushed and killed at Rakok.

The coalition says armed men moving behind cattle herds have overrun at least 152 hamlets and villages. It alleges the militia is raising ₦20 million, about $15,000, for media campaigns and petitions. TruthNigeria could not independently verify that claim.

Solomon Dalyop, national leader of the umbrella body representing the Berom people, told TruthNigeria that Fulani Terrorists have killed more than 40 Christians in Jos in the past three weeks, and more than 500 across Plateau since February.

“The killings could have been worse but for the intervention of the DSS and Operation Rainbow,” Dalyop said.

“When we hear groups calling for removal of the DSS boss, we know that it is because he is working,” he added.

“If the Fulani are demanding for the removal or discontinuation of the successful operations of the DSS and other security agencies, then let the entire world note that they are ENEMIES OF THE STATE,” the coalition stated.

Washington Lawmakers Applaud Arrest of Ardo

Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., hailed the Mahanga arrest on X on Oct. 3 as “proof that the US-Nigeria Security Cooperation agreement is bearing fruit.” In August, Moore opposed lifting Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern, the U.S. blacklist for severe religious-freedom violators.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who says more than 50,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria since 2009, accuses Abuja of facilitating violence by enforcing blasphemy and Sharia laws. His bill would sanction officials responsible. 

Abuja rejects the persecution charge. Information Minister Mohammed Idris has called Cruz’s figures untrue, saying terrorists attack Muslims and Christians alike. 

For Plateau’s Christians, the arrests and Washington’s attention are rare good news. Coalition leaders say removing Damian or pausing operations would hand the initiative back to the criminal private militias, and urged President Bola Tinubu not to bend.

Mike Odeh James is a conflict reporter at TruthNigeria.

Related