A Fulani socio-cultural group, The Concerned Fulani People of Nigeria, has questioned what it described as inconsistencies in the United States’ narrative on insecurity in Nigeria, particularly concerning allegations linking Fulani communities to widespread violence across the country.
The group, in a rejoinder signed by Ibrahim Barkindo Chubado and made available to journalists on Thursday, accused the United States of adopting a “shifting posture” on Nigeria’s security crisis, warning that conflicting international narratives could deepen ethnic tensions.
The group said earlier assessments allegedly linked to the US government had cautioned against portraying Fulani people as the sole drivers of insecurity in Nigeria, stressing that such narratives were politically motivated and lacked factual balance.
According to the statement, those earlier reports also warned against ethnic profiling and sweeping generalisations capable of worsening communal divisions.
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The group recalled that during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, public discourse frequently associated kidnapping, banditry and violent crimes with Fulani identity and Islam, a trend it said fuelled hostility against innocent Fulani communities in parts of Southern Nigeria and the North Central region.
It alleged that several Fulani settlements were attacked during the period, while businesses were destroyed and cattle killed as a result of retaliatory sentiments and ethnic profiling.
The rejoinder argued that herder-farmer clashes had often been oversimplified, despite repeated warnings by security experts that the conflicts were driven by land disputes, environmental pressures, grazing routes and local political tensions.
The group cited recurring crises in Benue, Plateau and Taraba states, insisting that many Fulani families in those states had lived there for generations and should not be treated as outsiders.
According to the statement, previous US assessments had reportedly concluded that the herder-farmer crisis in Nigeria was largely economic and environmental rather than purely ethnic or religious.
It added that the reports recommended ranching reforms, fair land-use policies, stronger law enforcement and conflict-resolution mechanisms as long-term solutions to the crisis.
The group, however, claimed that such perspectives were resisted by ethnic activists and separatist elements, particularly in parts of Southern Nigeria and the Middle Belt.
It also referenced criminal incidents in Ekiti, Ondo and Edo states, where early accusations against Fulani groups were later contradicted by findings from security agencies.
Speaking on the 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, the group said the incident highlighted the dangers of premature ethnic conclusions.
According to the statement, Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters later linked the attack to criminal elements associated with an Ebira subgroup and not the Fulani communities.
The group further alleged that despite those findings, some Fulani residents in Ondo State were arrested and profiled following public accusations that the attack represented a coordinated assault on Yoruba communities.
The rejoinder also expressed concern over recent reports allegedly linked to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which reportedly claimed that about 30,000 armed Fulani militants were responsible for widespread insecurity in Nigeria.
It argued that such claims unfairly stereotype millions of law-abiding Fulani citizens and risk escalating ethnic tensions nationwide.
The group said international reports often focused disproportionately on alleged Fulani-related violence while paying less attention to other armed non-state actors operating across Nigeria.
Among the groups mentioned were Yoruba Nation agitators in the South-West and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), in the South-East.
According to the statement, Nigerian authorities had repeatedly accused IPOB and ESN of attacks on security personnel and violent enforcement of sit-at-home orders, while courts had designated IPOB a terrorist organisation.
The group said perceived imbalances in international reporting had fuelled suspicions among some Nigerians that foreign powers were not entirely neutral in their interpretation of Nigeria’s security challenges.
It linked such concerns to broader geopolitical developments across Africa, including growing anti-Western sentiments in Mali, Burkina Faso and the Republic of Niger.
While acknowledging the severity of insecurity in Nigeria, the group maintained that the crisis could not be reduced to one ethnic group, religion or region.
It said banditry, terrorism, separatist violence, organised kidnapping and communal conflicts involved actors from diverse backgrounds.
The group therefore called for balanced reporting, responsible political rhetoric and evidence-based security assessments that avoid ethnic profiling.
“Nigeria’s future cannot be built on ethnic scapegoating, mutual suspicion, or divisive narratives,” the statement added.
