A Fulani man who was abducted by kidnappers has shared his experience in captivity, insisting that many of the criminals responsible for kidnappings across the country are not Nigerian Fulani but foreigners from neighboring countries.
Speaking about his ordeal, the victim revealed that he and several others were kidnapped by armed Fulani men from Chad, not Nigeria.
Claims Kidnappers Were Foreigners
According to the victim, the group that abducted him consisted of about six men, none of whom were Nigerian Fulani.
“I am Fulani. We don’t kidnap people because we have businesses that we survive on. We don’t pray to God to make us to be kidnapping fellow human beings to make a living. All those kidnappers are not Nigerian Fulani. They are Fulani from Chad. When they came and kidnapped us, we saw about six of them; there was no Nigerian Fulani,” he alleged.
He further claimed that someone outside the gang was supplying them with information and appeared to be directing their operations remotely.
“But someone was giving them information. The person was speaking Hausa on the phone and seemed to be their boss because, as we were moving, he was the one instructing and communicating with them. They also kidnapped some Chinese people on the way. After the Chinese paid, we also paid before they released us. I think they later went to Abeokuta,” he stated.
‘Our Name Is Being Damaged’
Expressing frustration over the growing association of Fulani people with banditry and kidnapping, the man said:
“So all these things that are happening, people keep mentioning Fulani, are just spoiling our name. I swear to God, most Nigerian Fulani do not like trouble,” he said.
He admitted that disputes sometimes arise between herders and farmers when cattle stray into farmlands but maintained that kidnapping is not representative of Nigerian Fulani culture.
“If they say our cattle entered someone’s farm and ate their crops, I will not deny that. But Nigerian Fulani carrying guns and kidnapping people that is not us. “
“Even in Nigeria, we have about five different types of Fulani. Those who kidnapped us were speaking Fulani, but if we did not understand the language well, we would not have understood what they were saying because their dialect is a bit different from ours,” he explained.
Life in Captivity
The abducted man also recounted some unusual experiences while in captivity.
“While we were with them, they called their families back home. They call via WhatsApp calls, not normal phone calls. Some of them were asking about their properties at home,” he said.
“They even tell their families that the animals they took to the market had not yet been sold and that they would return once they sold them. We were the ones they were referring to as the animals.”
“When our families came to pay the ransom, they removed ₦2,000 from my money and gave it to me. They also removed ₦2,000 from the money of the others and gave it to them as well.
“They said in case we had done any charm on the money, that it both of us that spend the money.”
“We bought milk, malt, cigarettes, and other things before they finally released us. They even asked me to go and buy food for them. After I brought the food, they asked me to eat it first. They waited for about five minutes, and when nothing happened to me, they started eating the food.”
‘We Are Tired of the Stereotype’
The man further lamented the stigma faced by many Fulani people due to the activities of criminal groups.
“Sincerely, if it were possible for us to change our tribe from Fulani, we would have done so because we are tired. Everywhere we go, once people see that we are Fulani, they call us bandits.”
See below;
“The Fulani that are kidnapping people are not Nigerian Fulani. They are mostly Fulani from Chad, we Nigerian Fulani may eat someone else farm with our cow, but we don’t kidnap.”
— An abducted Fulani man, narrating his experience after being kidnapped. pic.twitter.com/M06BTV2sYl
— Oyo Matters (@Oyo_Matters) June 3, 2026