A Fulani group that calls itself the Fulani Nationality Movement on Sunday claims ownership of all lands from Sokoto to the Atlantic Ocean in the south, and also gave a notice of planned conquest of the entire territory.
The group under the acronyms FUNAM dropped the bombshell in statement in reaction to the killings in Plateau state by armed Fulani herdsmen, claiming that there is claim of the existence of a Fulani Strike Force that coordinated what it called a retaliatory attack against Birom people in Barkin Ladi, in Plateau state.
President of the group Badu Salisu Ahmadu was unapologetic about the killings, said the killings were justifiable as the Fulani had been attacked before the counter attack.
And he laid an operating philosophy of the ethnic nationality: “For the avoidance of doubt, our heritage is that ANY ATTACK ON A SINGLE FULANI IS AN ATTACK ON ALL. ANY OF SUCH ATTACKS MUST BE COUNTERED WITH TRIPLE MEASURE”
Ahmadu claimed that Plateau is an indigenous territory of the FULANI people.
“We are the first to settle in Plateau-Benue axis thousands of years ago. We shall take and possess every inch of this land; A conscious attempt to rewrite history and distort, manipulate or destroy our past will be resisted with all the might at our disposal”.
“We have said it over and over, that Nigeria is the only inheritance we have in Africa and anywhere in the world. This land belongs to us, from Sokoto to the banks of the Atlantic Ocean. This was the destiny bestowed on Uthman Dan Fodio which would have been fulfilled since 1816 if not for the obstruction of this great assignment by the British. It is no longer time to play the ostrish. Our men are waiting. We are eager to fight. We are boiling with the zeal to actualize our dream; enough of double dealing and ambivalence by FULANI political leaders who unfortunately think the FULANI can only take back what belongs to us through appeasement and elections destined to reflect cultural values antithetical to the preachings of Uthman Dan Fodio.”
According to him, there is a clear agenda to divide Nigeria and exterminate the Fulani people. “We are long aware of this plot. We call on FULANI all over Africa to prepare for this inevitable war and set our people on an offensive path rather than being weaklings that choose a defensive strategy in warfare.”