‘We are not bandits’ – Fulani leaders give Tinubu fresh demands

The leaders under the Confederation of Pastoralist NGOs, CONPA, and Kautal Pulaku Fulbe Association of Nigeria made the demands during an international press conference in Abuja on Sunday.

The General Secretary of the association, Abdullahi Ardo, listed their three demands as:

“30% of agric budget should go to Ministry of Livestock Development.

“Gazette and protect 417 grazing reserves across Nigeria.

“Pilot ranches and fodder production in all 6 geopolitical zones.”

Ardo applauded Tinubu for creating the Livestock Ministry in 2024 after 60 years of agitation but said the ministry remains largely unfunded and without a clear operational framework.

“Livestock is a N30 trillion economy. It cannot be treated with levity,” he said.

The Fulani leaders also demanded investigation into killings of pastoralists in Plateau, Niger, Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara, where they claimed hundreds including women and children were killed, cattle rustled and Rugas burnt.

“We are Nigerians. We are pastoralists. We are not bandits. We love this country. Our cattle feed this nation. Criminals are criminals and have no tribe,” Ardo said.

They called for a National Dialogue with Miyetti Allah, Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI, and security agencies to end the farmer-herder crisis that has killed over 20,000 people in a decade.