Nigeria: 'Why Nomadic Fulanis Were Evacuated'

allAfrica.com: Nigeria: 'Why Nomadic Fulanis Were Evacuated'

Chuks Okocha And Seriki Adinoyi

11 May 2009

Abuja/Jos — Plateau State Government has explained why it evacuated hundreds of 'nomadic Fulanis' from the Wase Local Government of the state, stating that it was to guard against any untowards development following the Jos North crisis of last year which resulted in bloodshed.

This came as the chairman of Wase local government, Abubakar Mohammed Badu, who is also a Fulani Muslim, in an interview with THISDAY, said that the migrants' arrival posed a threat to his people, and as such, had to alert the State Security Council.

Yakubu said that "in 1984, similar migrants were accommodated and they turned out to be bandits and also caused disputes over land ownership among the people," stressing "with this experience, any body could be afraid."

Addressing newsmen earlier in Abuja, Plateau State Commissioner of Information, Gregory Yenlong, said " some migrant Fulanis came into Bashar axis of Wase Local Government shortly after the November 28, 2008 crisis that affected some parts of Jos metropolis. "Their arrival which was in 14 trucks immediately attracted apprehension by the local residents who are predominately Fulanis. Their fears were informed by the ugly expriences of 1984 where similar migrants were accommodated and turned out to engage in armed robbery and banditry. Other negative activities of the migrants led to disputation over farmlands with local farmers," he said.

The commissioner also accused the House of Represen-tatives member representing Wase Federal Constituency, Hon. Idris Ahmed, of misrepresenting facts for sheer political gains, stating that the petition against the state government was aimed at pitching the government against a peaceful muslim community and the country at large.

"The authors of the said petition are not only mischievious, but want to make a political capital out of a settled matter," the commissioner said, explaining that the state had nothing against muslims in Wase local government or anywhere else in the state.