Crisis brews in Kwara Fulani community over detention of kidnap suspects
There is a major crisis within the entire Fulani community in Kwara State and some members of Miyetti Allah over alleged attempts to release and terminate a criminal case against one Hardo Usman Adamu and others in detention.
Adamu and other suspects were arrested over allegations of kidnapping for ransom.
The Miyetti Allah group had written a letter to Governor Abdulrahaman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State, threatening that they would withdraw their support and not vote for his re-election in the 2023 general elections unless Adamu and others were released.
The letter purportedly written by the Miyetti Allah, which claimed that it had the consent and the authority of the entire Fulani Community in Kwara State, sought among others, the discharge and acquittal of Hardo Usman Adamu and others on all the allegations levied against them.
“That Hardo Usman Adamu and others should be released forthwith as they are innocent of the charges against them which are capital in nature or go into full trial.
“That the entire Fulani community and its members would withdraw their support to Governor Abdulrahaman Abdulrazaq at the next election, if their demands were not met,” the letter written by the Miyetti Allah group added.
However, in a counter letter to the governor by the entire Fulani Community in Kwara State, signed by 11 signatories after an emergency meeting on December 14, 2022, in Ilorin, the body dissociated itself from the purported letter by the Miyetti Allah, describing it as blackmail.
“To the dismay of the Fulani community leaders and its teeming members present at the meeting, the letter itself and the content came to them as a surprise as no consent, authority and permission of any Fulani community leader or its member in Kwara State were sought and obtained before the letter was written,” it declared.
The Fulani community leaders resolved that the State government should let the will of justice take its course by allowing Hardo Usman Adamu and others now standing trial before the High Court in Ilorin prove their innocence of the alleged offence against them, as it would enhance the image of other Fulani leaders and their teeming members in Kwara State who are law abiding citizens.
“It is our fervent belief that the judicial system in Kwara State and Nigeria as a whole will vindicate any innocent person unlawfully charged for the offence which he did not commit or partake in after full trial.
“We are of the belief that releasing him without proving his innocence or facing trial will further destroy the image of each and every Fulani member in the entire nation.
“It is high time to redeem our image and prove that the Fulani people are not criminals, but a hardworking tribe from time immemorial,” the group said.
The Fulani community leaders pledged not to interfere with any allegation against any of its members unless it is obvious that the allegation is unfounded against such a person.
The body affirmed its unflinching support to the governor saying, “we enjoy your administration and have always supported you from inception till date due to your consistency in infrastructural development, provision of adequate security, education and all other social amenities made available to the people of Kwara State, hence we support your re-election.”
The Fulani community leaders said its members had been warned at different fora to desist from involving in any form of criminality and that anybody arrested whether rightly or wrongly for any offence should defend any allegation levied against them at the court of law in view of the fact that the Nigerian society now sees everybody of Fulani heritage to be a criminal.
