JOS, Nigeria — A prominent Fulani socio-cultural organisation, the Kautal Pulaaku Fulbe Association, has strongly rejected a directive by Plateau State Governor, Barrister Caleb Mutfwang, ordering security agencies to shoot-on-sight anyone caught destroying farmlands across the state.
Governor Mutfwang issued the severe security mandate during an emergency high-level security meeting following a wave of coordinated attacks on farming communities in the Bassa, Bokkos, and Barkin Ladi Local Government Areas. The governor instructed security operatives to deal decisively with criminal elements who systematically wipe out cultivated crops and destroy community livelihoods, declaring farmland destroyers “enemies of the state”. Alongside the directive, the state government announced restrictive measures, including a statewide ban on night grazing, limitations on moving livestock via vehicles past 7:00 PM, and temporary restrictions on motorcycle movement.
Allegations of Extreme Measures and Selective Justice
The Fulani group swiftly countered the policy, describing the shoot-on-sight directive as an extreme, hazardous approach to security management.
In an official response signed by the association’s National President, Dr. Muhammadu Hussaini Buzaye, the group called on the governor to immediately rescind the order. The association warned that the shoot-on-sight policy could act as a catalyst to further inflame existing communal and regional tensions across the volatile Middle Belt.
The group further alleged that the Plateau State government is demonstrating bias and selective justice by enacting draconian measures against farmland destroyers while failing to show equivalent urgency regarding local ethnic militias who target herders, rustle livestock, and deliberately poison grazing cattle. According to Buzaye, the selective enforcement proves that the administration does not prioritise or value the safety, property, and civil rights of the Fulani pastoralists living in the state.
Appeal for Balanced Enforcement and Coexistence
The association emphasised that long-term stability and regional peace can only be achieved when law enforcement and government institutions maintain complete neutrality.
The body demanded equal accountability for all actors involved in the agrarian crisis, regardless of their cultural, religious, or regional background. It warned that implementing a lopsided legal framework will deeply entrench historical grievances, making civilian trust hard to restore.
The group concluded its response by appealing to traditional rulers, religious figures, community leaders, and youth organizations to refrain from making inflammatory declarations. It reaffirmed its commitment to exploring collaborative, non-violent pathways alongside state security agencies to permanently halt the cycle of reprisal attacks in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
