The Council of Fulani Chiefs of Southwest Nigeria has categorically denied involvement of its members in kidnapping and banditry in the region, while announcing a series of security measures aimed at reinforcing peaceful coexistence with host communities.
The resolutions were announced during a press briefing by Mohammed Bambado, the Sarki Fulani of Lagos and chairman of the council, who used the occasion to reaffirm the group’s long standing commitment to law and order across the Southwest.
“The Council of Fulani Chiefs of Southwest Nigeria categorically affirms their commitment towards sustaining the established peaceful coexistence with the host community. Going down memory lane, we have enjoyed over 200 years of cordial Fulani existence in the Southwest. Indeed, we are firm, committed, and determined to pass on the sustained peaceful coexistence that has been maintained to our future generations,” Bambado stated.
The council condemned in its entirety any acts of banditry, kidnapping, farmland destruction, and all forms of farmer-herder conflict that could be linked to the Fulani community, and called on the Office of the National Security Adviser to identify and prosecute those responsible.
The council reaffirmed an absolute ban on night grazing, underage grazing, and herders carrying firearms and other dangerous weapons not relevant to the profession. It also announced a ban on violent Fulani festivals or carnivals that have often resulted in loss of lives and injuries, describing such practices as cultural traditions that “do not really align with the current security situation of the country.”
As part of its resolutions, the council announced plans for a sensitisation and engagement tour to educate herders on global best practices in livestock production and respect for the law.
The council also resolved to strengthen its partnership with the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN Commission) to improve security in the region.
Additionally, the council called for the inclusion of Kwara State in security coordination efforts, citing its porous borders with Ekiti, Oyo, and Benin Republic.
The chiefs urged the revival of nomadic education centres across Fulani settlements, warning that illiteracy is one of the major causes of insecurity in Northern Nigeria and in Fulani settlements across the Southwest.
The council also announced plans to launch a Cattle Farmers Data Collection exercise across the Southwest for documentation and development purposes.
The statement comes amid growing concerns over security in Nigeria’s Southwest, where armed attacks on farming communities have been reported with increasing frequency. In parts of the South-West, criminal actors have reportedly exploited relationships with Fulani herdsmen, many of whom legitimately manage cattle for wealthy southern elites, politicians, and traditional rulers to expand territorial influence into remote agricultural zones.
The council’s public declarations represent one of the most comprehensive sets of security commitments made by any Fulani leadership body in the region in recent years, and signal an attempt to draw a clear line between the broader Fulani community and criminal elements exploiting ethnic associations.
