30,000 militants do not represent 14.5 million Fulani Nigerians – Miyetti Allah

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has distanced the Fulani community from criminal groups operating across the country. MACBAN's National President, Baba Ngelzarma, stated that the estimated 30,000 militants and bandits cited in a recent report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom do not represent the 14.5 million Fulani citizens in Nigeria.

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We state categorically that the estimated 30,000 active militants and bandits cited in the USCIRF brief do not, and will never, represent the 14.5 million peaceful Fulani citizens of this country.

Ngelzarma emphasized that law-abiding pastoralists are among the primary victims of these criminal syndicates. They routinely suffer from cattle rustling, mass abductions, and retaliatory violence. "We state categorically that the estimated 30,000 active militants and bandits cited in the USCIRF brief do not, and will never, represent the 14.5 million peaceful Fulani citizens of this country," the statement read.

The association declared it would not shield individuals or groups involved in criminal activities and pledged full support for security agencies in tackling insecurity. MACBAN has directed its zonal and state branches to strengthen intelligence-sharing arrangements with security agencies and traditional rulers to help identify and apprehend criminal elements. "We pledge our full cooperation to help law enforcement detect, isolate and flush out criminal elements using our forests and borderlands as cover," the association added.

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As MACBAN has stated in several reports and statements, law-abiding pastoralists are themselves primary victims of these criminal syndicates, routinely suffering from cattle rustling, mass abductions and retaliatory violence.

MACBAN also condemned terrorism, banditry, and targeted killings across the country, regardless of the perpetrators' ethnic or religious identities. The group urged Nigerians, security agencies, and the media to avoid ethnic profiling, warning that the collective stigmatization of pastoralists could undermine efforts to combat insecurity and promote national cohesion. They also called for government and development partner support to modernize livestock production through ranching and other initiatives to reduce conflicts associated with open grazing.

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We pledge our full cooperation to help law enforcement detect, isolate and flush out criminal elements using our forests and borderlands as cover.