A Fulani youth leader in Plateau State, Hamisu Garba, has declared that no group or community can forcefully eject Fulani people from the state, insisting that they are equally legitimate citizens of Plateau.
In an exclusive interview with DAILY POST, Garba emphasized that many Fulani people, including himself, were born, raised, and have spent their entire lives in Plateau State, making them rightful indigenes in accordance with the Nigerian Constitution.
“I was born in Plateau State. I have my indigene certificate signed by both my district head and the local government chairman. My parents and siblings were all born and raised here,” he said. “The only time I’ve lived outside Plateau was during my NYSC in Enugu.”
Garba expressed concern over what he described as repeated attempts to label and push the Fulani community out of Plateau through intimidation and profiling, adding that such efforts would be strongly resisted.
He questioned the motive behind the growing hostility towards Fulani residents, asking, “If people say we should leave Plateau, where do they expect us to go? Is it a crime to be Fulani?”
While acknowledging that criminal elements exist within all ethnic groups, including the Fulani, he rejected the blanket characterization of Fulani people as criminals.
“Just like our Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, rightly said, there are criminals in every tribe,” he stated.
“There are Fulani criminals, yes, but there are also Mwaghavul, Berom, Tarok, Ngas, Irigwe, and Mupun criminals. Crime is not exclusive to any ethnic group.”
Garba further alleged that some violent attacks in the state involved insiders from native communities who collaborate with external attackers for money.
“Our findings show that some locals are paid as little as ₦20,000 to give out information on their own communities,” he claimed.
He recalled a time when Fulani and other ethnic groups in Plateau lived in peace, sharing in each other’s festivals, intermarrying, and coexisting harmoniously.
“I don’t know when things changed or how the Fulani suddenly became a group that must be chased out. But let me be clear—no one can drive us out of Plateau,” he vowed.
Garba said Fulani youth leaders have been working to promote peace and unity, urging other communities to do the same instead of fueling division.
“We want to live peacefully, just like everyone else,” he said. “Not all Fulani are criminals. We deserve to be treated as fellow citizens, not as suspects.”