Yusuf made the accusations on Saturday at a town hall meeting organised by the Kautal Pulaaku Fulbe Association of Nigeria, or KPFAN. He claimed that members of the council’s security agencies go on raids with local Irigwe youths, attacking and killing innocent herders and stealing their cattle.
Yusuf stated during the meeting that the practice has been in place for years and has recently gotten worse.
It is quite concerning what has been going on in Bassa and other areas of Plateau State.
He stated, “You will be shocked to learn that during raids on Fulani communities, security personnel collude with local Irigwe militants to attack Fulani herdsmen.”
He further said that cows are taken from the communities during these raids, some of which result in casualties, and their owners are then forced to pay enormous sums of money to have them returned.
“With no justification at all for farm encroachment, our cattle are taken from us and transported to a military camp for days, weeks, or even months.”
“After that, we will have to spend enormous sums of money to the security personnel to retrieve them. As a result, we Fulani herders are severely economically disadvantaged. Yusuf declared, “We should be protected just as much as everyone else.”
He further claimed that on July 30, armed Irigwe youths and security personnel attacked some Fulani herders in Ancha village in the LGA, killing six cows and seriously injuring others in an unprovoked attack. A herdsman named Muhammadu Rebo was killed while peacefully grazing without encroaching on any farmland.