Sen. Shehu Sani, a former Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, has called on the Fulbe Educational Development Association, a Fulani socio-cultural group, to distance itself from any form of criminality, particularly kidnapping and banditry.

Senator Sani made this appeal when members of the association paid him a courtesy visit at his Kaduna residence.

Lamenting the negative perception that has enveloped the Fulani ethnic group in recent years due to the activities of bandits and criminal elements, Sani noted that such acts have not only taken lives but also damaged the reputation of innocent and law-abiding Fulani people across Nigeria.

He urged the group to embark on an image-rebuilding mission to change the narrative surrounding the Fulani identity, which he described as historically peaceful and hospitable.

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“It is high time something is done to redeem the image of the Fulani ethnic group,” he stated. “You have a moral and patriotic duty to tell your people in your own language to stop the criminality of kidnappings and banditry.”

“For centuries, Fulanis have been known to be peaceful and accommodating people…why should you allow your ethnic group become a brand for violence?” he asked.

Speaking further, Senator Sani blamed past leadership failures in the North for the current security challenges, stressing that the refusal to educate nomadic populations decades ago has now become a major national concern.

“The North is a victim of its own leaders who failed to educate the nomads in our hinterlands. Today, those same neglected populations are contributing to the security crisis confronting the region and the country at large,” he added.