Abuja – The Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore Fulani Socio-cultural Association has accused political actors of fueling the ongoing crisis in Plateau State, insisting that herders are not responsible for the unrest that has led to multiple deaths.

 

Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday, the group’s National Secretary, Saleh Alhassan, rejected the narrative linking foreign herders to the violence in the Middle Belt, describing it as “misleading” and “politically motivated.”

 

“The notion of foreign herders is a distraction and part of efforts to strip Nigerian herders of their citizenship,” Alhassan said.

 

He emphasized that the root causes of the conflict in Plateau are often unrelated to land or grazing disputes. “The recent Bokkos conflict began with a motorcycle theft, but it was quickly branded a herder-farmer clash,” he explained.

 

Alhassan also condemned the rise of ethnic militias disguised as vigilante groups, warning that peaceful herders are increasingly forced into self-defence.

 

He accused some politicians of weaponizing insecurity for personal political gain and stressed that criminality must be tackled impartially, without ethnic or religious bias.