Bago to Fulanis: Ask your children to stop kidnapping — abducted victims often blame you
Mohammed Bago, governor of Niger, says Fulani community leaders in the state should work with security agencies to identify criminals within their communities.
Speaking in Hausa in a viral video, the governor also urged Fulani leaders to encourage those involved in criminal activities to abandon crime and return home, warning that continued silence over kidnappings and banditry would worsen public distrust.
“My relatives, I will not be afraid of you; I had better tell you this. Whoever gets kidnapped in the bush and is later released will say it was Fulanis who kidnapped him,” he said.
“So, you should warn your children who are in the bush to return so that we can live peacefully. There is no way people can be kidnapped and made to pay ransom without expecting them to be angry with you.
“People are angry with Fulanis. No one is stopping you from grazing, going to school, or staying peacefully, yet you know your children are doing bad things to people. Even if they are not caught, you will eventually face the consequences.”
Bago said public frustration over insecurity is growing because some community members allegedly failed to report armed men, including those arriving from neighbouring Zamfara state.
He urged Fulani leaders to disown criminal elements in their midst and report them to security agencies rather than shielding them.
The governor also warned farmers against cultivating along government roads, noting that he had ordered an end to the practice.
“Between the main government road and the power poles, where no farmer is supposed to plant, I have given an order that if any farmer plants between the main road and the power poles, you should let the animals eat the crops and arrest the farmer,” he said.
“You have your own designated land, planting close to the main road only shows you are looking for trouble.”
Bago also cautioned vigilante groups against exceeding their responsibilities, asking them to focus on securing border areas rather than taking the law into their own hands.
He further called on traditional rulers to regulate religious preaching in their domains, warning against sermons capable of inciting division.
The governor said anyone using religious preaching to divide Muslims or create tension between Muslims and Christians in the state should be arrested.
“Also, this Emirate should set boundaries for our preachers,” he said.
“Lakurawa come and create trouble among you in the name of preaching, but they are just lying. When they were born, it was Salatul Fatih that was practiced.
“Shehu Usman Danfodio is the man who laid the foundation for Islam here, yet they are against him. Which books have they read, and where did they study?
“Even if they come to the Jum’at mosque to preach, arrest them. His Royal Highness, I give permission, whoever preaches to divide Muslims, or to divide Muslims and Christians, should be arrested, and we will take them to prison.
