The 19 Northern Governors have defended Fulanis in the light of killings perpetrated by suspected Fulani herdsmen in parts of the country, saying it was an insult to consider criminals as Fulani.
The Governors, rising from a meeting in Kaduna yesterday, said although they condemned the recent attacks by suspected herdsmen in Enugu and other parts of the country, it was out of place by anyone to label all criminals as Fulani.
Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) and Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, said: “We want to unequivocally condemn the recent killings in Enugu and other parts of the country. But we equally condemn the politicization or permit me, the ‘ethinicisation’ of the whole crisis,” the governor said.
“It goes beyond Fulani. If anything happens, they say Fulani herdsmen. To me, it is an insult.
“Kidnapping in this country originated in the Southeast, were they called Igbo kidnappers? We have a great national challenge and we want to call on all and sundry to come and let us solve our common challenges as a people, because the blood of paternity that binds us together supersedes whatever differences that might divide us.”
He also condemned the Agatu killings and charged the media to avoid sensationalism and harp on issues that bind the Nigerians together
