A Fulani leader who has lived in the Hurti community of Manguna District, Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, for 32 years has confirmed that the attackers who recently invaded the area and killed 46 residents were members of his own tribe, speaking the Fulani language throughout the assault.
A video shared on Tuesday by journalist Masara Kim Usman showed the respected Fulani elder, who has long been regarded as part of the Hurti community despite being a Muslim and a Fulani man. Community members described him as a man of peace who lived harmoniously with everyone like one family.
According to the elder, the Fulani terrorists arrived speaking his dialect. He said he attempted to shield vulnerable residents, people he described as his “friends,” by stepping in front of the attackers and questioning them in their language about their motives. However, they insisted nothing would stop them from executing their mission.
He recounted that despite his desperate pleas, the terrorists threatened to kill him if he did not get out of their way. They shoved him aside and proceeded with the massacre, killing 46 people and burning houses belonging to Christian residents.
The elder said what hurt him most was that the attackers were his own tribesmen, who refused to listen to him even after decades of peaceful coexistence with the community he had come to see as family.
Remarkably, no Muslim or Fulani resident was harmed during the invasion, underscoring what many observers describe as the religious motivation behind attacks linked to Fulani militants in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
This stands in contrast to the insurgency in the Northeast and the terrorist violence in the Northwest, which often targets Christians and other minority groups.
Narrating the incident, the elder said, “I heard them speaking fluent Fulani language. They were discussing in Fulani.
“So I approached them and spoke to them in the same language. Women were running to my house, begging me to save them. If I had the power, I would have done so.
“I have lived with them for so many years and they have become my family. When the attackers left, I went to the hills and watched everything unfold.
“Then they regrouped and started shooting. There was gunfire all over the town. We all hid in one room while the shooting continued for a long time, killing many people.”
The article was originally published on Politics Nigeria.