Trying times for the Fulani

Sitting under a tree and staring at members of his family, the Sarkin Fulani Chaza, Malam Idris Abdulkadir lamented the precarious situation members of his family have found themselves, in a place they have  lived for generations. “I have lived in this place for over 60 years, since the time my parents relocated from  an […]

Sitting under a tree and staring at members of his family, the Sarkin Fulani Chaza, Malam Idris Abdulkadir lamented the precarious situation members of his family have found themselves, in a place they have  lived for generations. “I have lived in this place for over 60 years, since the time my parents relocated from  an area around Izom,” he lamented.
He recalled the time when the Fulani  lived and moved  from one place to another, from the North to the South, traversing the length and breadth of the entire country with their cattle, and interacting peacefully with other tribes all over the country.
He said when his father settled in the area, there were only a few huts belonging to the natives and just  a few farms. He said that with a growing population the village expanded, and  many non natives came to settle in the area, to engage in farming and other commercial activities. The  community leader said  the history of the farmers/herders clash and other challenges, started in the sixties when the cattle routes started disappearing, and the Fulani were forced to follow alternative routes which had been converted into farmlands by the people.
But he said such skirmishes were easily resolved in those days because there was honesty and sincere commitment on the part of the leaders, unlike now when leaders were being bribed to take sides in most cases.
Sarkin Fulani Idris  said cattle rustling has now assumed a frightening dimension and the Fulani were left to suffer for it. He said unlike in the olden days when the rustlers used crude weapons like bows  and arrows, which enabled  the Fulani to easily ward off or follow them to recover the stolen cattle, they now come with sophisticated weapons to attack the and steal the cattle.
Lost
The Sarkin Fulani Chaza  also said the most surprising thing about the present situation is that  whenever the cattle are rustled, they disappear without trace. “Unlike the  time of our parents, when one will follow the path followed by the rustlers to recover the cattle, now they disappear without trace.”
He said that about two months ago, some cattle were rustled from a neighbouring community called Bamburu. He said the attackers ordered the owners at gun point to untie the cows for them, and they took them and disappeared without trace.
“They took away about 150 cows belonging to three people, Alhaji Tanko, Alhaji Agage and Muri, a Yoruba man. Because of that incident if we hear any noise or  see a light  from a distance, we leave our rooms and hide in the bush leaving our cattle at the mercy of the marauders.
He said most of the Fulani  who lost cows twice or more have now relocated  to Kogi and Kwara states to areas around Saki, Offa and other communities, because according to him cattle rustling is less likely in those places.
The Fulani community leader however said in an isolated incident  at another community called “Fadaman Abuchi,” three cows were seen tied to a tree in the morning after they were stolen in the night. He added that although there have been many cases of rustling in the area, nobody has ever been killed in the area. Pointing down a slope towards a settlement in the distance he said, “The marauders usually come through this place to steal in this community.”
The blame game
In his own account, the Ardo Suleja, Salisu Muhammed whose house lies  between two hills, said  even his children are aware of the happenings around. With a fairly large family living in three typical Fulani hut, he  lamented the blames being heaped on the Fulani, while they were suffering huge losses. “Our people have become the whipping boys and sacrificial lambs. Our cattle are being rustled and our people are being killed, but we are always being blamed  for a crises in which  our people are always the victims.”
He stated that cattle rustlers are having a field day around the area. He said  a few days ago, some cattle numbering about 50 were stolen in Numba, Malam Karo, and Kuchiko. He also said a Fulani man was recently killed at Malam Karo,  but his cows were later recovered.
“We cannot sleep with our eyes closed now. We have to keep checking on the animals in the night,  and if we hear  any unusual movement we try to alert others by phone if the situation permits. We also have the numbers of some security agents, particularly those for the  police and the vigilantes, who we can call in times of needs and that has  helped us a lot.”

At a village market in Dikko, another Fulani leader, the Ardo Wuse, Alhaji  Yunusa said his people have been suffering for a long time. He said  he has been receiving cases of cattle rustling and attacks on the Fulanis sometimes without provocation. “I don’t see any reason why someone will suffer for the sins of another.”
The Fulani leader said their people including children are not spared ,and the Fulani  have now became sacrificial lambs in the country, and almost everybody is accusing them of being behind every attack ,especially if it involves some people that they had issues with. Many people are hiding behind the Fulani  to perpetrate crimes which will later be blamed on us.
He stated that  the Fulani  have for a long time been suffering from losses which will in monetary terms run into billions.But nobody is looking at it to sympathise with them despite the cries by their people for help to resolve the various crises ,and help the Fulani  against the people who attack and rustle their cattle.
He said that as leaders they are not denying the fact that there are  some bad eggs that perpetrate crimes, but that should not be an excuse to brand all the others as bad. The Fulani leader added that the cases were more last year, but their people who migrated to the South were being attacked and killed in many places.
Abdullahi Usman, another Fulani leader, concurred, saying that  the Fulanis were now confronted with multiple challenges, and they are always trying to extricate themselves  from blames on crimes which others commit.He said that recently some cattle  belonging to a Gbagyi community leader were stolen, but some people tried to blame the Fulani  for the theft. He said it is the leader whose cattle  were stolen that saved the situation by saying that his subjects( Fulani living in the area) will not take his cows. “The problem could have sparked a crisis, because  our people became angry as they have lost over 100 cattle  to rustlers before the community leader lost his. But the people did not sympathise with them, and they are trying to blame us for the theft of the community leaders cattle, which is unfair,” he said.
Vulnerability
Some of the Fulani said their life which depended on cattle rearing is fraught with danger when  they traversed vast areas.But according to them, the danger they confronted in the olden days revolved around  the presence of wild beasts that  usually attacked them. They however said the present danger posed to the Fulani is greater, as the strategies used are new, and it has grown into a plan which many people are involved.
According to Usman Abdullahi, their settlements which are isolated also increased their vulnerability to the attacks by cattle rustlers, and other people who see them as enemies. He said the Fulani  are a nomadic group, moving from one place to another. That in itself made them to be exposed to friction with other people, whenever they move to a greener pasture to graze their cattle.
“Whenever our people move, there are others trailing us with sinister motives  to steal our cattle  or  to attack us. That is why we don’t leave our small children with the cattle anymore. Even the adults are being attacked and the cattle stolen,” he added.
He lamented that  the weapons which the Fulani  hold to protect themselves from attacks, such as  the cutlasses and cutting knives, were now being confiscated which  increased their vulnerability to the attacks. This is because most of them don’t have  weapons  to defend themselves, while the rustlers come with sophisticated weapons including big guns.
“A Fulani is only allowed to carry a stick which is not enough for him to defend himself. If you carry a weapon now, you will be branded as somebody trying to foment trouble. Other people are allowed to carry weapons in the name of self defence, but for the Fulani to carry weapon is a crime,” he stressed.
For now the Fulani believe that the repeated attacks on their people is pushing them into a difficult situation “If we were attacked, we are blamed. If we defend ourselves against attacks, we will equally be blamed,” Ardo Wuse said.
Rising anger
There is a growing anger among the Fulani youths as they see the situation as a plot to destroy a legacy. For them the bond between the Fulani and his cattle is inseperable. Thus, anything that will affect  it is a threat  to their overall wellbeing. “No Fulani will survive without his cattle around, and it is the main means of survival for us.We all depend on the cattle for our sustenance. Besides, no Fulani man will die without bequeathing this legacy to his children,” one of the Fulani youths said.
Attacks on their women are increasing  the anger among the Fulani. Citing the case of  a Fulani woman at Dei-Dei, one of the youths retorted “We will not fold our arms and watch while our women  are  being raped. If nobody is willing to protect us, we will do everything to defend our dignity. Fulanis are not cowards and they are not criminals.”