In a historic and sweeping move, Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has dismissed all Fulani district heads, known as Ardos, replacing them with indigenous Nupe chiefs in a bid to curb rising insecurity, kidnapping, and land grabbing. The decision, announced on July 18, 2026, marks one of the boldest actions by any governor against traditional structures long accused of enabling violence by Fulani ethnic militias .
Bago told the assembled chiefs that he could no longer trust them to maintain peace, citing a pattern where freed kidnapping victims repeatedly identified Fulani individuals as their abductors. He accused the traditional rulers of shielding criminals and being complicit in the bloodshed engulfing the state .
The governor also pointed to a dangerous cross-border dimension, alleging that Fulani relatives and armed allies were streaming in from neighbouring countries to reinforce local conflicts. He further accused some title holders of illegally selling land and blamed those deals for recent killings, ordering an immediate freeze on all land transactions in parts of Kagara .
The purge is backed by a 105-page, six-year study released on June 30, which documented 79,323 people killed in terror-related violence in Nigeria between 2020 and 2025. The report found Fulani terror groups responsible for 44 percent of all civilian deaths—four times the combined toll of Boko Haram and ISWAP .
The move also comes in the wake of the U.S. House of Representatives approving a bill to withhold 100% of aid to Nigeria over the killing of Christians, a decision that has thrust Bago’s gamble into the centre of an escalating confrontation between Washington and Abuja .
Human rights advocates have welcomed the decision, describing it as a validation of the assertion that Fulani ethnic militias are responsible for killings, kidnappings, and land grabbing in the Middle Belt. The governor’s action sends a direct message to other states facing similar challenges .
The decision effectively ends centuries of Fulani domination over indigenous people in Niger State, marking a significant shift in the region’s political and traditional landscape .