Miyetti Allah Demands Apology from Kaduna LG Chair Over Alleged Bias
By Austine Agbo Emmanuel, Kaduna
http://www.newsportng.com.ng The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Kaduna State chapter, has called on the Executive Chairman of Kaura Local Government Area, Hon. Sankyai Obadiah Sanko, to publicly apologize to its members, particularly to Ardo Hari, over alleged biased treatment and wrongful profiling of Fulani communities in the area.
In a statement issued to journalists on Monday, the State Chairman of MACBAN, Alhaji Abdulhamid Musa, accused the council chairman of ethnic profiling and consistent unfair treatment of Fulani herders in Kaura LGA.
The statement, issued after a stakeholders’ meeting, acknowledged the efforts of various security agencies—especially the Nigerian Army, Operation Safe Haven, the Police, NSCDC, DSS, and other local security outfits—for their swift and strategic responses to security threats in Southern Kaduna.
“We also recognize the unwavering efforts of the Kaduna State Government under Governor Uba Sani in confronting the threats posed by armed criminal gangs,” the statement said. “Equally, the role of traditional leaders across Southern Kaduna in promoting peace and stability is commendable.”
However, MACBAN expressed concern over what it described as “the skewed and prejudicial handling of security issues” by the Kaura LGA chairman, particularly when suspects are not from his ethnic group.
The association cited numerous instances where Fulani individuals were hastily labeled as criminals—kidnappers, cattle rustlers, and arsonists—without thorough investigation. “Such blanket criminalization reveals a disturbing bias and a failure to exercise justice fairly,” the statement added.
MACBAN further alleged that some recent high-profile kidnappings in the area were carried out by individuals from the chairman’s ethnic community. The suspects, identified as Christopher Cheto and Jerry Jacob Mai Zafi, both from Manchok in Kaura LGA, reportedly confessed to carrying out kidnappings since 2013.
Despite this, the group noted, the council chairman has been quick to blame Fulani residents while allegedly shielding culprits from his own community.
One of the most controversial cases raised by MACBAN involved the wrongful arrest of Ardo Hari, a respected Fulani leader and local chairman of MACBAN in Kaura LGA. According to the statement, Ardo Hari was invited to a meeting by the council chairman but was later arrested and transferred to Operation Safe Haven Headquarters in Jos, where he was detained for weeks without evidence or formal charges.
“To arrest such a highly respected community leader without justification is not only inhumane but indicative of deep-seated prejudice,” the statement read. “If this could happen to a leader of men, the plight of ordinary Fulani residents can only be imagined.”
MACBAN also condemned what it described as the chairman’s “demeaning and inflammatory remarks” towards Fulani elders during a recent meeting, saying he called them “terror enablers” and treated them with open hostility.
The association concluded by calling on the council chairman to retract his actions, treat all communities with fairness and equity, and issue a public apology—particularly to Ardo Hari and the Fulani residents of Kaura LGA.
“Peace and development in Kaura cannot be achieved when leaders engage in discrimination and prejudice. It is time for reconciliation and truth,” MACBAN stated.
