The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria has rejected attempts to link the wider Fulani population with armed groups accused of widespread violence across the country, insisting that a tiny criminal minority cannot define an entire ethnic community.

The association was reacting to a recent brief by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, which estimated that about 30,000 armed Fulani militants operate in Nigeria in cells ranging from small bands to large, organised groups. The report described them as among the deadliest non-state actors implicated in religious freedom violations.

In a strongly worded response, MACBAN’s National President, Baba Ngelzarma, stressed that the figures cited in the report must not be used to stigmatise millions of peaceful Fulani citizens who live and work across Nigeria.

He said law-abiding pastoralists are themselves frequent victims of the same criminal networks, suffering cattle rustling, mass abductions, extortion and retaliatory attacks in many parts of the country.

Ngelzarma emphasised that the association would not defend or provide cover for anyone involved in banditry, terrorism or other violent crimes, regardless of ethnic or religious identity. He pledged MACBAN’s cooperation with security agencies to identify and isolate criminal elements hiding within or around pastoral communities.

According to the association, its zonal and state branches have been directed to deepen discreet intelligence-sharing with federal security forces and traditional rulers, with the aim of tracking movements of suspected gangs and preventing attacks before they occur.

MACBAN also condemned all forms of terrorism, banditry and targeted killings nationwide, warning that ethnic profiling of Fulani herders risks fuelling further division and undermining efforts to build trust between communities and security agencies.

The group urged the media, policymakers and the public to distinguish between criminals and ordinary pastoralists, arguing that blanket stigmatisation could push vulnerable youths towards radicalisation instead of encouraging cooperation with law enforcement.

It called on the Federal Government and development partners to accelerate reforms in the livestock sector, including support for ranching and other modern production systems designed to reduce clashes linked to open grazing, competition over land and water, and climate pressures.

MACBAN maintained that sustainable peace in Nigeria’s rural belt will depend on justice, dialogue, effective security collaboration and economic policies that address poverty, marginalisation and the structural drivers of conflict.