Open Letter To President Bola Ahmed Tinubu On The Fulani Predicament In Plateau State

Dear President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,

We, the members of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Plateau State chapter, humbly write to bring to your attention the challenging situation we are facing in various communities in the state.

You have consistently promised, as President of Nigeria, to treat every citizen equally, regardless of ethno-religious background, and to ensure all faiths and ethnic nationalities are protected wherever they are in the country. We trust you act on assurances.

As Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, you may be aware, Fulani herders have been facing serious difficulties in the state, and we feel it is imperative to reiterate the problems we have been experiencing, in the hope that, as a proactive leader for all Nigerians and who listen to everyone, you can gain a deeper understanding of our predicament as citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and address our concerns.

We have endured relentless attacks, cattle shooting, and poisoning, as if our status as Plateau indigenes and Nigerian citizens counts for nothing. This dire situation has forced us to draw your attention, hoping for relief from these atrocities.

As Fulani herders, our wealth is connected to our animals that embody our livelihood. We are never privileged to gain government jobs like other ethnic groups in the state, and that is why we concentrate on our lawful business of herding. The relentless attacks on our herds, the poisoning of our water sources, and the brutal violence against our cattle and people have dealt devastating blows to our economic backbone.

Our lives, wherever we are – in communities, grazing fields, markets, and other places – are no longer safe. We cannot move a kilometer from our houses for grazing without herders or cattle being attacked or killed. Often, we and our cattle are either killed, or the cattle are rustled or shot dead.

Hundreds of millions of naira worth of cattle were deliberately shot dead by sponsored militias within various communities in the state. We are reeling from these losses, our ability to sustain ourselves and our families severely crippled. It is a stark reality that our way of life, our very survival, hangs in the balance, imperiled by the persistent threats to our lives and livelihoods and the Plateau State government appears to have ignored our plight with no regard as if nothing is happening to us.

Because of our identity as Fulani herders, the media have remained conspicuously silent on all the atrocities committed against us; instead, they are used to blackmail us. We believe that, despite the media’s refusal to acknowledge these atrocities, the security forces under your leadership are fully aware of what has happened and what’s happening to us within the last four months of 2025.

Mr. President, to briefly convey our plight, between September and December, 2025, our members endured relentless attacks in communities of Jos South, Riyom, Barkin Ladi, Bokkos and Mangu. Countless assaults were recorded, resulting in the loss of millions of naira worth of cattle to militia attacks across these five local government areas. A good number of herders rearing the cattle were killed.

ATTACKS ON GRAZING CATTLE AND HERDERS: SEPTEMBER – DECEMBER 2025

Recent documented attacks on Fulani herders and cattle between September and December 2025 include:

1. On September 2, 2025, 15 cattle were killed near Fan village of Barkin Ladi LGA.

2. On September 7, 2025, Abubakar Wada was killed along with his 36 cattle and 46 were also rustled near Fan village of Barkin Ladi LGA.

3. On October 19, 2025, Shehu Isa was killed near Ngel village of Jos South LGA.

4. On November 3, 2025, 73 cattle were rustled within Foron District of Barkin Ladi LGA.

5. On November 8, 2025, 34 cattle were rustled around Fan village of Barkin Ladi LGA.

6. On November 9, 2025, 1 cow was poisoned near Jol, in Riyom LGA.

7. On November 10, 2025, 6 cattle were poisoned around Heipang in Barkin Ladi LGA.

8. On November 15, 2025, 13 cattle were killed and 12 were critically injured around Gero village of Jos South LGA.

9. On November 21, 2025, 4 cattle were killed around Maraban Kantoma, UTC Junction, Barkin Ladi LGA.

10. On November 29, 2025, 2 cattle were poisoned at Jol village of Riyom LGA.

11. On November 30, 2025, 7 cattle were poisoned at Kwi village of Riyom LGA.

12. On November 30, 2025, a herder, Yakubu Salihu was attacked and killed while grazing at Forof in Bokkos LGA.

13. On December 4, 2025, a herder, Salihu Ibrahim was attacked and fractured at the Forof community of Bokkos LGA while his cattle was shot. He was attacked by suspected militia while he was grazing.

14. On December 11, 2025, 137 cattle were rustled near Ndin village of Fan District of Barkin Ladi LGA.

15. On December 11, 2025, two cattle were poisoned on the outskirts of Kwi village of Riyom LGA.

16. On December 12, 2025, 9 cattle were poisoned while grazing at Kwi village of Riyom LGA.

17. On December 14, 2025, 13 cattle were killed and 12 others injured around Gero road when suspected sponsored gunmen opened fire on grazing cattle and the herders.

18. On December 23, 2025, 3 cattle were shot at Kopmur Mushere West. The matter is reported to the DPO of Bokkos.

19. On December 25, 2025, 3 cattle were poisoned at Rwam of Mushere West of Bokkos LGA.

20. On December 28, 2025, gunmen opened fire on herders at Conoil Station along Bukur Expressway of Jos South LGA. The victims sustained serious gunshot wounds.

Mr. President, the cattle killed in these incidents alone are worth over half a billion naira, and these attacks have been happening daily since the beginning of the year. How do we survive without our means of livelihood? If we recount all the attacks we faced from January to December 2025, the scale of our suffering will be seen as monumental. We believe no tribe in this country would tolerate this violence against themselves. It is because of our resolve for peaceful coexistence that we are speaking out. We are Nigerians too, with the right to exist like any other.

The incidents we have listed are just a few examples, but we have evidence and reports with the security agencies monitoring the situation in the state. Mr. President, If you’d like to verify these facts, the reports are there.

Despite all this, the state government hasn’t paid any compensation to our members. Even the donations by Her Excellency, Remi Tinubu, to crisis victims in the state – nothing went to the Fulani community just because of our identity. We wrote to the governor about the first N500 million donation to the attacked victims by your wife but our members got nothing. The same with the N1b donation to crisis victims by your wife; we got nothing despite being victims of repeated attacks. The state government is fully aware of our situation but deliberately ignored us. As Nigerians and human beings, we are struggling to understand this reality.

EXISTENTIAL THREAT: EXCLUDING HERDERS FROM COMMUNITY POLICING

Mr. President, we’re not opposing the constitution of local security operatives in Plateau. In fact It’s a welcome development because, if formed with good intentions, it would address security challenges we face daily. To us, if sincerely managed, it would help prevent militias from attacking innocent herders and their cattle.

However, our main concern is the recruitment of personnel, where herders who also live in different communities were excluded. In the five LGAs mentioned, no Fulani have been recruited as operatives of Operation Rainbow to safeguard communities.

We are also not comfortable with the composition of the operatives of the Operation Rainbow.

Mr. President, what we’re saying is that if the state government is sincere about protecting everyone, regardless of ethnic or religious background, our members should be part of securing their communities and property, just like every other ethnic group in the state. This we believe will give us a sense of belonging and have confidence that the Operation Rainbow is for all, not one side of the population.

Mr. President, we’re concerned about our exclusion from Operation Rainbow’s recent inauguration of 1,400 operatives in Mangu, Bokkos, Riyom, Barkin Ladi, and Jos South LGAs, where we face serious security challenges. As community policing is meant to involve locals, we question why herders were not included. We fear something’s amiss. We are alerting you, as Commander-in-Chief, to potential dangers to our livelihoods. We say this because past and recent experiences showed how herders and their cattle were brutally attacked.

Our appeal

We appeal to Mr. President to protect our lives and livelihoods. Cattle worth billions are being killed, herders are being attacked. We are not asking for money, but peace. We are indigenes, but aren’t given government jobs or opportunities to serve in the state despite having qualified persons among us. Since we are not given such opportunities, we should at least be allowed to pursue our lawful business (herding and farming) without harassment. We seek peace, coexistence, and protection.

We believe in your leadership and your influence as Number One Citizen can help address the issues affecting our members and promote peaceful coexistence among all stakeholders in the state.

We would be grateful if you could lend your support to help resolve these matters.

Yours faithful,

Ibrahim Yusuf Babayo, Chairman, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Plateau State Chapter.

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