The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, has issued a strong call to Nigerians, urging them to stop labelling kidnappers, bandits and terrorists as “Fulani herdsmen,” insisting that criminals should simply be identified as criminals, regardless of their ethnic background .
The monarch made the declaration on Wednesday while declaring open the 2026 National Conference of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in Abuja, where he also pledged the full cooperation of Fulani communities in flushing out criminals from their settlements .
“I want to assure all Nigerians that we mean well for everybody in Nigeria. We mean no harm to anybody,” the Sultan said . He stressed that the actions of a few criminals should not be used to judge millions of peaceful Fulani people across the country .
“Call them criminals who are abducting people, engaging in kidnapping, terrorism and whatever. In every family, you have bad people and you have good people. I happen to belong to the family of good people,” he stated .
The traditional ruler further noted that ethnic identity should never define criminal responsibility, stressing that every ethnic group has both good and bad individuals, and criminality should never be linked to an entire community .
He pledged the full support of Fulani communities in the fight against insecurity, stating, “We assure the President and all other stakeholders that we are 100 per cent ready to work with him and other security agencies to flush out criminals from our enclaves” .
The Sultan also commended President Bola Tinubu for establishing the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, describing it as a landmark intervention that will transform the livestock sector and encourage peaceful coexistence .
He praised the Presidential Livestock Reforms Committee, led by Professor Attahiru Jega, and pledged the support of traditional institutions for the ministry’s programmes .
Calling for peaceful coexistence, the Sultan said Nigerians should seek to understand one another rather than merely tolerate one another. “We want everybody to understand who we are. If you understand somebody, you can work better with him,” he added .
Earlier, MACBAN National President Baba Othman Ngelzarma condemned terrorism, kidnapping, banditry and cattle rustling, stating that no ethnic group or profession should be blamed for the crimes of a few individuals . He described insecurity as the greatest challenge facing both pastoralists and farming communities, noting that criminal attacks had claimed lives, displaced families and destroyed livelihoods across the country .
“Criminals must never be identified with any ethnic group, religion or occupation. Those who violate the law must be dealt with according to the law, while peaceful and law-abiding citizens must be protected without discrimination,” Ngelzarma said .
The conference, themed “Advancing Peaceful Pastoralism and Livestock Transformation for Food Security, National Unity and Shared Prosperity,” brought together government officials, traditional rulers, pastoralist groups, development partners, security agencies, and livestock industry stakeholders . The event also honoured the Sultan and Prof. Attahiru Jega by conferring on them the title of patrons of MACBAN in recognition of their contributions to livestock reforms .