The Kaduna State chapter of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria has accused some military officers and local government officials of being involved in what it described as the targeted killing of Fulani herders in Southern Kaduna.
In a statement released on Monday and signed by its chairman, Alhaji Abdulhamid Musa Albarka, the association said the killings were part of a recurring pattern of violence and injustice against its members.
The group said four herders — Suleiman Idris, Yusuf Abdullahi, Hamidu Dauda, and Ibrahim Hassan — were attacked by armed militias on September 28, 2025, in Tanda Village, Jema’a Local Government Area, while trying to use an old cattle route allegedly blocked by locals.
According to MACBAN, the attack was deliberate and unprovoked. “Their only offence was asking why their long-established cattle route was blocked,” the group said. “Suleiman Idris was brutally murdered, while the others sustained serious injuries. Their cattle, which are their only means of survival, were scattered into the bush.”
Albarka described the incident as a “calculated act aimed at destroying the Fulani community and their livelihood.”
He accused the Chairman of Jema’a Local Government Council, Peter Tanko Dogara, of interfering with police investigations and trying to shield those responsible. “The chairman’s actions are a gross abuse of office. He failed to visit the victims or condole with their families, which has eroded public confidence,” Albarka said.
The group also blamed some officers of Operation Safe Haven, the military task force responsible for security in parts of Kaduna and Plateau states, for ignoring warnings of rising tension in the area.
“This omission directly enabled the murder of Suleiman Idris,” MACBAN said. “When soldiers turn a blind eye to violence, justice dies, and people lose faith in national institutions.”
The group also questioned what it called the “silence and lack of accountability” from the Defence Headquarters, urging it to ensure fairness and neutrality in security operations in Southern Kaduna.
MACBAN called on President Bola Tinubu to set up a judicial panel to investigate the killings and the alleged complicity of local and military officials. It also urged a review of the Operation Safe Haven command structure and demanded that any officer found guilty of negligence be sanctioned.
The group further called on Governor Uba Sani to suspend the Jema’a council chairman pending investigation and to strengthen peace and reconciliation efforts in the state.
“The peace initiative of Governor Uba Sani is being sabotaged by rogue officials and compromised commanders,” Albarka said. “We remain committed to peace and dialogue, but peace cannot stand on injustice. Justice must prevail.”
