A leader of the Fulani ethnic group has provided a detailed insight into why his people attacked the Agatu people of Benue, sacking several communities and killing hundreds.
According to Saleh Bayeri, the Interim National Secretary of Gan Allah Fulani Association, the February bloody conflict in Benue was a reprisal attack by his people against the Agatus who he accused of killing, in 2013, a prominent Fulani man. He said the killing of the man reverberated amongst every Fulani in West Africa.
“A prominent Fulani leader, Ardo Madaki, was invited to the palace of the district head of the area on the grounds that a solution was being sought to the problem. However, the Agatu militia beheaded Ardo right in front of the district head.
“This action reverberated across all Fulani people in the whole of West Africa and the clamour for revenge began to grow strong. He comes from a very well respected clan and the Agatu sent the Fulani a chilling message with his murder,” he said.
“Till date, no action was taken, even by the village police station on this murder,” he said.
He also said the Fulani have records of how the Agatu killed over 300 of their people, adding, “but because we don’t have people in government or the media, no one said anything when genocide was being carried out against our people”.
Bayeri called on government to set up an independent judicial commission of inquiry to investigate the killings of the said 300 Fulani.
“We have a full inventory of all the Fulani people killed by Agatu and we would produce the evidence as long as the inquiry commission is not under the National Assembly
“We have no confidence in the national assembly because of the overriding influence of the former Senate President David Mark, who knew how the Fulani were being massacred and did nothing but use his influence to cover it up,” he said.
