The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has dismissed claims linking the Fulani ethnic pastoral group to thousands of armed militants and bandits across the country, insisting the community should not be collectively blamed for criminal activity.
The association was reacting to a report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) which estimated that about 30,000 armed Fulani militants operate in different parts of Nigeria in groups ranging from 10 to 1,000 members.
The USCIRF specifically said that MACBAN “has faced longstanding criticism from Christian leaders who claim that it has been ineffective at best in reducing militant violence and Fulani herder incursions onto farmlands—and, at worst, possibly even foments land invasions, according to some.”
In February 2026, the U.S. Congress introduced a bill, the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026,
that included MACBAN as an entity on which the U.S. Departments of State and the Treasury should impose
targeted sanctions for its alleged role in perpetrating severe religious freedom violations.
But on MACBAN said in a statement by its National President, Baba Ngelzarma, said the figure does not reflect the Fulani population in Nigeria and warned against profiling an entire ethnic group based on the activities of criminal elements.
He said the 30,000 militants and bandits cited in the report “do not, and will never, represent the 14.5 million peaceful Fulani citizens of this country.”
According to him, rather than being linked to violence, many Fulani pastoralists are themselves victims of insecurity, including cattle rustling, kidnappings and retaliatory attacks.
“As MACBAN has posited in several reports and statements, law-abiding pastoralists are themselves primary victims of these criminal syndicates, routinely suffering from cattle rustling, mass abductions, and retaliatory violence,” the statement read.
The group stressed that it would not protect or excuse anyone involved in criminal acts, adding that it remains committed to supporting security agencies in tackling insecurity across the country.
“MACBAN will not shield, make excuses for, or tolerate any individual or group engaging in violent criminality,” it stated.
MACBAN also said it had directed its state and zonal chapters to strengthen intelligence-sharing with security agencies and traditional rulers in order to help track and flush out criminals hiding within rural and border communities.
“We are actively directing our zonal and state branches to formalize and deepen closed-door intelligence-sharing channels with federal security forces and local traditional rulers.
“We pledge our full cooperation to help law enforcement detect, isolate, and flush out criminal elements using our forests and borderlands as cover,” the association added.
The association condemned terrorism, banditry and killings across the country, regardless of who is responsible, and urged Nigerians to avoid ethnic profiling in addressing insecurity.
It warned that generalising criminal activities to an entire ethnic group could worsen tensions and undermine national security efforts.
MACBAN also called on the government and development partners to support reforms in the livestock sector, especially ranching, as a long-term solution to conflicts linked to open grazing.
The group said sustainable peace would depend on justice, dialogue, security collaboration and economic reforms targeting the root causes of violence.