A Fulani coalition in Plateau insists herders are victims of attacks, not perpetrators, and accuses local militias of displacing their communities.
The Coalition of Fulani Registered Organizations (COFRO) has rejected claims that Fulani herders are behind recurring violence in Plateau State, insisting they are the victims rather than aggressors.
Speaking at a press conference in Jos on Thursday, COFRO chairman in Bokkos Local Government Area, Sale Yusuf Adamu, described the allegations as unjust profiling. He was reacting to accusations by the Bokkos Concerned Youth (BCY), which claimed herders displaced over 300 communities and killed more than 200 people.
Adamu maintained that no herder has been arrested in connection with the attacks and instead alleged that Fulani people have lost members, cattle, houses, and farmlands to militias. He listed over 50 Fulani settlements in Bokkos LGA allegedly destroyed.
Dismissing claims that herders collude with security agencies, Adamu called such accusations false and dangerous.
He appealed to government, security forces, and stakeholders to disregard “baseless” allegations and work for peace.