Miyetti Allah declares war on kidnapping, banditry in South-West

The Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore has declared war on kidnapping, banditry, theft and other criminal activities threatening peaceful coexistence in the South-West region.

The chairman of the group, Alhaji Sanni Muhammad, made the declaration on Saturday during a press briefing at the MKO Events Centre in Iseyin, Oyo State.

Muhammad said Fulani settlers under the aegis of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore could no longer remain passive in the face of security challenges in their communities, noting that the group was ready to partner with state governments and traditional rulers to tackle criminal elements.

He assured stakeholders of the group’s full support for the peace and security agenda of leaders in the South-West.

Addressing royal fathers, including the Olubadan of Ibadan, the Ooni of Ife, the Alaafin of Oyo, the Soun of Ogbomoso, the Aseyin of Iseyin and the Okere of Saki, Muhammad said his mission was to pay homage and seek their blessings for collective security efforts.

He described Nigeria as a tapestry in which the Fulani thread was golden and could not be removed. He cited the community’s contributions to Islamic scholarship, the livestock economy and the country’s national character through the Fulani code of Pulaaku — Semteende (modesty), Munyal (patience) and Goonga (truthfulness).

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Expressing concern over the misrepresentation of Fulani people amid rising insecurity and misinformation, he said: “It pains me because I know the true Fulani man is a man of peace. A man who greets you with peace, whose cattle drink peacefully, whose family moves peacefully.”

Muhammad called for the revival of traditional conflict-resolution mechanisms to restore unity between farmers and herders.

He also advocated investment in education for Fulani children, covering both Western and Arabic education, and urged members of the community to reject criminality in all its forms.

The Miyetti Allah leader pledged the group’s loyalty to the peace and progress of Oyo State and the wider South-West region. He also appreciated the Oyo State Government and traditional rulers for their roles in promoting peace.

Reaffirming the group’s commitment, Muhammad said: “Ladies and gentlemen, at this juncture, permit me to say that we, the Fulani settlers under the aegis of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, are fully ready to support the state governments and traditional rulers across the South-West to wage war against any ungodly act capable of truncating the enduring peaceful co-existence in Yorubaland.

“We are fully ready to curb any security threat and nefarious activities of disgruntled elements in Oyo State and South-West region. We have fashioned out ways of addressing crime and criminality such as kidnapping, banditry, theft, etc.

“Let the farmer and the herder sit again under one tree as our fathers did. The government cannot do it alone without the blessing of us all.

“Let us speak with one voice for peace. A criminal has no tribe. Let us work with security agencies to bring back our peaceful Nigeria.

“I am not a stranger to you. I am your son. My success is your success, and your peace is my peace,” Alhaji Muhammad said.