Edo community leaders call for profiling of Fulani herdsmen amid rising insecurity

Edo West Council leaders call on government to profile Fulani herdsmen, citing rising attacks and kidnappings in local communities

Oseremen Enekwe, chairman of the Edo West Council (EWC), has urged the government to monitor and profile Fulani herdsmen living in villages, warning that some may be involved in criminal activities.

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Enekwe made the call during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday. He said:

“This is what the government should do and they should start doing it now, which is for anybody to reside in our villages or bushes, there should be a kind of permit and those people should be watched.”

Enekwe claimed that many herders are “real terrorists” and that trailers regularly bring them into the region, sometimes with no jobs, leading to involvement in banditry and kidnappings.

“If you go to Uromi market, you’d see a lot of Fulani herdsmen… Trailer loads of bandits, terrorists, or Fulani herdsmen are being shipped into the land. When you bring these people into the land with no job for them, the next thing they go into is banditry, kidnapping,” he stated.

He also highlighted risks posed by herders’ families and warned that some local youths may be enticed to join criminal activities.

“Sure a lot of our youths are with them, probably they are being enticed by the money and whatever, so when you see cult people clashing in Ekpoma, some of these cult boys are affiliated to them,” he added.

Enekwe recommended profiling herders and removing illegal settlements in bushes as part of the solution.

The comments follow viral protests in Edo Central, where residents expressed fears over kidnappings and killings allegedly linked to Fulani herdsmen. Some herders were seen fleeing markets during the demonstrations.

The Edo State government said the issue is being addressed using “technology-driven strategies” and promised quick results. Bugie Okhuemoi, Special Adviser to Governor Monday Okpebholo on Media and Publicity, told Channels Television:

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“There are serious strategies on the ground and in place that will be activated very soon. In fact, they have already been activated, but in a very short while, we will see the effect.”

David Okere