State chairman Alhaji Ali Mohammed Jonwuro said at least 50 Fulani members were abducted in recent raids across Edu, Patigi, Ifelodun, and Irepodun LGAs, with ransoms as high as ₦10 million paid.
“In some cases, even after paying ransom, victims were not released,” Jonwuro lamented. “Our people have lost more than 3,000 cows, countless other animals, and millions of naira. Families who escaped the attacks have nowhere to go, and in some communities, they were told to return to where they came from.”
Jonwuro condemned what he described as unfair profiling of Fulani as perpetrators of insecurity in the state.
“Many people wrongly assume we are the problem. In truth, we are the victims of the same bandits everyone fears. Yes, criminals exist in every tribe, but branding all Fulani as culprits is unjust,” he said.
MAFYDA appealed to the Kwara State Government through the Emir of Ilorin, Dr. Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, to intervene and ease tensions. The group also called for the creation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps to shelter families forced out of their homes.
“While displaced Yoruba families are accommodated, many Fulani families are rejected and stigmatized,” said MAFYDA secretary Muhammad Abdullahi Lamido. “We ask the government to remember that our people are also Nigerians.”
The group’s media director, Sheikh Dan-Fulani Modibbo, criticised security agencies for failing to use technology to track kidnappers and cattle rustlers.
“It is shameful that in this age, government cannot deploy modern tools to identify and dismantle criminal networks,” he said, adding that media outlets should avoid ethnic profiling when suspects are not confirmed.
The alarm comes after fresh attacks in Patigi LGA, where bandits reportedly killed a community leader in Lade and abducted several others. The repeated raids have forced residents in many communities to flee, worsening humanitarian concerns in the state.
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