The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has dismissed allegations by Plateau-based cleric, Prophet Isa El-Buba, that Fulani herders are behind recurring violent attacks in the state.

El-Buba, founder of EL-Buba Outreach Ministries International, had alleged in a recent sermon that more than 80 percent of killings and destruction in Plateau were being carried out by Fulani militias linked to the association. He described the incidents not as farmer-herder clashes but as acts of genocide, terrorism, and land grabbing, urging Miyetti Allah to call its members to order.

Reacting in a statement on Saturday, MACBAN’s National President, Baba Othman-Ngelzarma, rejected the claims, insisting that Fulani pastoralists are “victims, not perpetrators” of banditry and insecurity across Plateau and other parts of Nigeria.

According to him, Fulani herders suffer disproportionately from violent crimes, as they are often profiled by natives and security agencies, attacked by bandits, and lose their cattle daily to rustling. He said the reality is that every bandit assault in the state is hastily attributed to Fulani herders, painting them as villains rather than victims.

Othman-Ngelzarma stressed that Fulani communities remain among the most vulnerable groups in the country because they live in remote forests with their families, depend solely on cattle for survival, and have little or no protection against criminal gangs.

He advised El-Buba and other opinion leaders to avoid blanket accusations, which he said only deepen mistrust and stoke further divisions. He added that peace will remain elusive in Plateau until justice is extended to all victims, including the Fulani pastoralists.