Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State has said that Fulani indigenes are also victims of kidnapping and attacks from bandit terrorists in the North.
During an appearance on Channels Television on Thursday, Bagudu stated that not all Fulani herdsmen are involved in attacks leading to mass abduction of people.
The Kebbi governor said most Nigerians do not hear the experiences of the Fulani who are also kidnapped and their cattle rustled, before attributing violent crimes to them.
According to Bagudu, many Fulani people are decent and peaceful residents who just want to make a living.
He said: “I have met with many Fulani communities in my state, who explained that they are also victims. They are the first victims of kidnapping and cattle rustling.
“It is easier for a drunk child, someone who is abusing drugs, to go to the community where there is no road, no police, no infrastructure to kidnap his cousin or sister and demand for cattle to be sold, for him to be given money.
“They are the major victims of kidnapping and then the wider kidnapping that is conducted by other Fulanis and non-Fulanis, who have come to form criminal gangs.
“Equally, cattle rustling is an activity that is against people who move cattle or who own cattle. A lot of Fulani are naturally victims and they are pauperised by it.
“We don’t even hear their stories. We don’t hear their side. We just think they are complicit. They are not. Majority of them are peaceful and decent people, seeking to make a living.”
Meanwhile, the special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on media and publicity, Femi Adesina has declared that the current administration has made remarkable progress in fighting insecurity in Nigeria.
According to the presidential media aide, a lot of challenges still remain but for those who think and see objectively, things are a lot better, he observed.
Adesina made the observation on Thursday during an appearance on a Channels TV interview programme where he submitted that Nigerians should be thankful to God for what the Buhari administration has done so far.
This article was originally published on Naija News