All of the Fulani people in Kwara State, as well as some members of Miyetti Allah, are in the middle of a serious crisis because there are rumours that the criminal case against Hardo Usman Adamu and other detainees is being dropped and the case is being closed.
According to the accusations, Adamu and the other accused were kidnapped and held for ransom.
In a letter to Kwara State Governor Abdulrahaman Abdulrazaq, the Miyetti Allah group said that if Adamu and the other people they were holding were not freed, they would stop supporting him and not vote for him in 2023.
The Miyetti Allah allegedly wrote a letter requesting, among other things, the release and acquittal of Hardo Usman Adamu and others on all of the charges brought against them. The Miyetti Allah said that the whole Fulani community in Kwara State backed them and gave them power.
“That Hardo Usman Adamu and others should either go through with a full trial or be immediately released as they are innocent of the capital accusations brought against them.”
In their letter, the Miyetti Allah organisation stated that if their requests were not met, “the entire Fulani community and its members would withdraw their support to Governor Abdulrahaman Abdulrazaq in the next election.”
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But the whole Fulani community in Kwara State distanced itself from the supposed letter from the Miyetti Allah and called it blackmail in a letter to the governor that was signed by 11 people after an emergency meeting on December 14, 2022, in Ilorin.
The letter and what it said “came as a surprise to the Fulani community leaders and its many members at the conference, much to their dismay, as no Fulani community leader or member in Kwara State was contacted and asked for permission before the letter was written,” it said.
The Fulani community leaders decided that the state government should allow Hardo Usman Adamu and others who are currently on trial before the High Court in Ilorin to demonstrate their innocence of the alleged offence against them, as it would improve the reputation of other Fulani leaders and their numerous law-abiding followers in Kwara State.
“We firmly believe that after a proper trial, the justice system in Kwara State and Nigeria as a whole would uphold the rights of any innocent person who has been falsely accused of committing an offence that he did not do or take part in.”
We think that releasing him without a trial or a chance to prove his innocence will further damage the reputation of every Fulani person in the country.
The organisation said, “It is high time to clear our name and show that the Fulani people have never been criminals but have always been hard workers.”
The leaders of the Fulani community vowed not to get involved in any allegations made against any of its members unless it was clear that they were false.
The group said, “We like the way you run things and have always backed you, from the beginning to now, because of how consistent you have been in building infrastructure and making sure the people of Kwara State have enough security, education, and other social amenities.” “Because of this, we support your re-election.”
The leaders of the Fulani community claimed that their members had received warnings from various sources to refrain from engaging in any criminal activity. They also claimed that anyone detained, whether rightfully or wrongly, for any offence should appear in court to defend themselves against any accusations made against them because Nigerian society now views everyone of Fulani ancestry as a criminal.
