IHRC-RFT raises alarm over alleged harassment of Fulani communities

The International Human Rights Commission-Relief Fund Trust (IHRC-RFT), Nigeria Chapter, has raised concerns over the alleged harassment and mistreatment of peaceful Fulani communities by some security personnel, vigilante groups and criminal elements within their own ethnic group.

In a press release, the commission said it had received complaints from Fulani residents who claimed they were being targeted despite being law-abiding citizens.

The group also alleged that some criminal Fulani elements had been stealing their cattle and killing them in their homes and while they were grazing their livestock.

The commission stressed that an entire ethnic group should not be labelled criminal or terrorist because of the actions of some individuals.

It said every ethnic group had law-abiding people as well as individuals involved in crime, adding that innocent people must not be punished for offences committed by others.

The IHRC-RFT called on the government and security agencies to protect the lives, dignity and fundamental rights of Fulani people and other Nigerians without discrimination.

It also urged the authorities to investigate allegations of criminal activities in accordance with the law and rely on credible evidence rather than assumptions based on ethnicity or background.

“The Commission further urges all Nigerian security personnel, vigilante groups, and members of the public to refrain from taking the law into their own hands. No individual or community should be subjected to harassment, intimidation, or denial of fundamental rights because of their ethnic identity,” the statement added.

The commission said it remained committed to receiving complaints, reviewing available evidence and pursuing appropriate channels to promote justice, protect human rights and encourage peaceful coexistence across Nigeria.

The statement was signed by Amb. Abdullahi Bakoji Adamu, the country director of IHRC-RFT in Nigeria.

“Human rights belong to everyone; justice must never discriminate on the basis of ethnicity,” the commission said.