The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) have warned that Nigeria risks sliding into anarchy if the Federal Government fails to rein in Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, over his reported ultimatum to Fulani leaders in Oyo State following the abduction of a pregnant woman and her relatives.
The groups, alongside several Fulani associations, accused Igboho of ethnic profiling and cautioned that attempts to hold an entire ethnic group responsible for the actions of suspected criminals could inflame tensions, provoke reprisals and undermine national unity.
Igboho, on Monday, defended his move, adding that his advocacy for effective security of the South-West was not targeted at any ethnic nationality but rather against criminal elements, who are perpetrating abduction, killings, banditry, and other vices.
The warnings and Igboho reaction came as the Oyo State police command and the Oorelope Local Government chairman dismissed reports that the abducted woman, Mrs Kuburat Omowumi, her son and other relatives had regained their freedom, insisting that they remained in captivity and that rescue efforts were ongoing.
The controversy followed a viral video in which Igboho reportedly issued a two-hour ultimatum to Fulani leaders in the Igboho community, Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State, demanding the release of the abducted victims.
In the video, Igboho accused unnamed Fulani men of engaging in kidnappings in the area, alleging that the victims were being held in a forest location within the community.
The National Publicity Secretary of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Prof Tukur Muhammad-Baba, on Sunday, described the ultimatum given to the ethnic group as unconstitutional, dangerous and capable of worsening the country’s security challenges.
According to him, the Federal Government, security agencies, traditional rulers and religious leaders must act quickly to prevent the situation from escalating.
“It is, therefore, the duty of the state, security agencies and community leaders, religious clergy, etc., to call him to order and to make it clear that ethnic profiling is a many-sided sword, a recipe for anarchy and an aberration in the modern world,” Muhammad-Baba told The PUNCH.
The ACF spokesman argued that the ultimatum unfairly portrayed all Fulani people as accomplices in crimes allegedly committed by a few individuals.
“The ultimatum is condemnable as it presumes the specific kidnappers represent the whole Fulani group without exception,” he said.
Muhammad-Baba noted that there was no evidence establishing the ethnic identity of the abductors, stressing that kidnapping had evolved into a criminal enterprise involving people from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds.
“It is not clear how he has concluded that the kidnappers are of the Fulani ethnic group, when we know that the criminal enterprise that kidnapping has evolved into involves all manner of people irrespective of social identities—ethnicity, religion, gender, etc.
“Wholesale association of kidnapping with all Fulani ethnic people is clearly counterintuitive. Plainly, it is counterproductive to assume Fulani people in this location and everywhere else should be held responsible for the activities of criminal elements from among them.”
He further argued that attributing criminality to an ethnic group amounted to self-deception.
“It is a trite fact that criminality has no tribe and to assume otherwise is to engage in collective illusory self-deception,” he added.
Questioning the legality of Igboho’s actions, Muhammad-Baba maintained that neither the activist nor his associates had constitutional powers to issue such directives.
“Obviously, the directive is unconstitutional. Mr Igboho and his group are not state law enforcement agents and cannot operate outside the law of the land,” he stated.
He warned that allowing non-state actors to assume security responsibilities could encourage retaliatory actions in other parts of the country.
“Their activities pose a threat to national security, and if they remain unrestrained, there is a risk of copycat backlash from others and our slide into catastrophic anarchy and atavism.”
The professor, however, blamed the rise of ethnic champions and self-help security measures on the inability of the government to adequately secure lives and property.
“It is a sign of failure and abdication of the responsibility of government to protect the lives and property of citizens, that enable kidnappers and other criminals to operate. The same failure also encourages local non-state actors and champions of provincialism to seek to fill the gap left by the state,” he said.
“Characters like Sunday Igboho can be seen as products of bad governance, corruption, impunity and criminal neglect by government.”
The Northern Elders Forum echoed similar concerns. Its spokesperson, Prof Abubakar Jiddere, condemned the abduction, but insisted that no ethnic group should be profiled because of the actions of criminals.
“The question is, who told them it is the Fulani people who carried out the kidnapping? That is the ethnic profiling we are against. That is the problem. We are overheating the political atmosphere,” he said.
“Already, Nigeria is facing serious challenges. When we make statements, we are supposed to do so with maturity and put the safety, peace and unity of the country first rather than ethnic sentiments.”
Jiddere argued that Fulani communities were among the worst victims of banditry and kidnapping.
“Many people do not know that Fulani people suffer more than any ethnic group as a result of banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling. If you go to Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina and Kebbi, you will discover that thousands of Fulani families have been displaced and forced to relocate,” he said.
He also warned against stereotyping. “Many people you see in the bush put on Fulani dressing. No Fulani man will wear his traditional ceremonial dress and go into the bush to kidnap people. We should be careful about stereotyping entire ethnic groups.”
Jiddere stressed that every Nigerian enjoyed equal rights under the Constitution.
“A Christian has the same rights as a Muslim in Nigeria. A Yoruba person has the same rights as a Hausa or Fulani person. Nobody has a birthright that is superior to another person’s in this country,” he stated.
“If a child is kidnapped in Oyo State, should a Fulani man in Sokoto be held responsible? A child is a child, and every Nigerian should feel concerned when any Nigerian suffers.”
The Coalition of Northern Groups also faulted the alleged threats against Fulani residents.
Its National Coordinator, Jamilu Charanchi, said while the kidnapping deserved condemnation, fighting crime should not involve threats or collective blame.
“While we condemn the kidnapping and support all lawful efforts to secure the victim’s release and bring the perpetrators to justice, addressing crime must not involve issuing threats, ultimatums, or assigning collective blame to an entire ethnic community,” he said.
“Criminal responsibility is individual, and law-abiding Fulani residents should not be held accountable for the actions of criminal elements. Sustainable security can only be achieved through intelligence-driven policing, due process and respect for the constitutional rights of all Nigerians.”
The coalition, in another statement on Monday, also expressed concern over reports and viral videos allegedly showing operatives of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, popularly known as Amotekun, profiling, publicly parading and threatening women identified as Hausa and Fulani residents who were engaged in lawful business activities in Ondo State.
The group argued that while insecurity remains a major challenge across the country, criminality should not be linked to ethnic identity.
According to the coalition, different regions of Nigeria had experienced varying forms of crime, including terrorism, banditry and kidnapping in the North; separatist violence and organised criminal activities in the South-East; cybercrime, armed robbery and cultism in the South-West; and oil theft and piracy in the Niger Delta.
The CNG maintained that these security challenges are products of criminal networks rather than ethnic identities and warned against stigmatising entire communities because of the actions of a few individuals.
“We categorically reject the dangerous practice of collective punishment and ethnic stereotyping. No Nigerian should become a suspect merely because of his or her ethnicity, appearance or place of origin,” Charanchi said.
He described as unacceptable reports that women conducting legitimate businesses in Ondo State were allegedly paraded or humiliated because of their ethnic background.
The group urged security agencies to focus on intelligence gathering, investigation and prosecution of criminal suspects rather than resorting to ethnic profiling.
It further called on the Ondo State Government to investigate the conduct of Amotekun personnel featured in the circulated videos and sanction any officers found culpable of misconduct.
In Oyo State, the CNG called on security agencies to ensure the protection of all residents, including Fulani communities, while intensifying efforts to apprehend those responsible for the reported kidnapping incident that sparked tensions in Igboho.
Similarly, the National President of Kautal Fulaku Fulbe, Dr Muhammad Hussaini, condemned the remarks attributed to Igboho, describing them as divisive and detrimental to national unity.
“He is not advocating for peace. Rather, he is one of those whose actions and comments continually threaten the peaceful coexistence and unity of the country,” Hussaini said.
“There is no situation in any of the 19 northern states where an entire tribe would be asked to leave a community because of the actions of a few individuals. Such an approach is unfair and unfortunate.”
The Kulen Allah Cattle Rearers Association of Nigeria also joined the criticism.
Its President, Khalil Muhammad Bello, said no individual had the authority to issue eviction orders to fellow citizens.
“We strongly condemn the statement attributed to Sunday Igboho, especially the part where an ultimatum was issued to a group of citizens, as it is capable of creating tension and misunderstanding in society.
“The Nigerian Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to reside and carry out lawful activities in any part of the country without intimidation, harassment or being forced to leave by any individual or group.”
Bello urged influential figures to avoid inflammatory statements capable of undermining peaceful coexistence.
“Farmers and pastoralists have lived together for many years and depend on one another for survival and economic activities, and anything that threatens that relationship is not in the interest of national peace and development,” he added.
Meanwhile, the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, expressed concern over the worsening security situation in Oke-Ogun and renewed calls for state police.
Its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, described the abductions and killings in the area as disturbing and unacceptable.
“As we in Afenifere and others have repeatedly demanded, kidnapping for whatever reason and terrorisation of our people must stop. It is a very sad thing indeed that these heinous crimes are occurring right on our own soil,” he said.
“The government and security agencies should buckle up to put an end to the evil act and ensure that those in bondage presently are freed without further delay.”
Ajayi urged authorities to fast-track the creation of state police.
“This must be fast-tracked and made to go down to the community level. Enough avoidable bloodshed has been shed. The banditry we are experiencing must come to an end forthwith,” he said.
Reacting on Monday, Igboho, in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Olayomi Koiki, contended that Nigerians, irrespective of religious, political and ethnic divides, should collaborate with the government and relevant security agencies to rid the nation of criminality.
Reacting to the statement of a Fulani socio-cultural group, the Concerned Fulani People of Nigeria, Igboho described the development as “baseless, misplaced priority and distortion of facts over insecurity ravaging some communities in Yorubaland.”
The PUNCH reports that the group, in a statement by its Convener, Ibrahim Barkindo Chubado, called on President Bola Tinubu and the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, to caution Igboho over what it described as inflammatory remarks directed at Fulani communities in Oyo over the alleged abduction of a woman and her children.
Reacting, Igboho said, “It is obvious that since my agitation for improved security in South-West and other parts of the country, I have never declared war against any ethnic group but have consistently voiced my position against criminal elements responsible for kidnapping, vicious killings, rape and violent attacks across Yoruba communities.
“The call by this faceless CFPN is myopic, uninformed and ridiculous. Our concern and primary focus have always been the protection of innocent lives and the preservation of peace, security and justice.
“We will never advocate hatred against any ethnic group. Our position has always been very clear: criminals should be identified, arrested and prosecuted by the law enforcement agencies regardless of their ethnic, religious and political inclinations because crime has no colour or race.
“It is absolutely wrong and misleading to portray our reaction to security breaches in South-West as ethnic profiling when the rights to life, freedom, and economic livelihoods of our people are being threatened by mindless hoodlums who are obsessed with gruesome killings and kidnapping of innocent people in rural communities.”
Igboho commended the Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu, the Director-General of the Department of State Service and heads of other security agencies for their sustained onslaught against criminals in the South-West and other parts of the nation.
“While we would not hesitate to collaborate with security agencies to strengthen peace and safety of our communities in the South-West, the collective task of ensuring a secure environment in our society should not be left to the government and stakeholders in the security sector,” the statement explained.
It, however, added that those calling on the government to caution Igboho should instead support stronger security measures aimed at dismantling criminal networks and ensuring justice for victims of kidnapping and other violent crimes. – Punch.
