True Fulani carry cutlasses, sticks, not AK-47s – Emir of Zazzau

The Emir of Zazzau, Nuhu Bamalli, has talked down the involvement of Fulani men in banditry, saying true Fulanis aren’t gun-wielding persons.

He noted that it’s customary for an ideal Fulani man to rather go around with his cutlass and stick to fend for his cattle.

The monarch’s statement comes on the heels of Fulani men’s involvement in banditry across the country, especially in Northern Nigeria.

Bamalli stated this on Saturday at a cultural event organised by the Fulani Development and Cultural Organisation.

He said, “I am very, very proud to be a Fulani man. All my ancestors, left and right, were Fulanis. So there is no way I will not be proud of my heritage, my culture and everything.

“Yes, the bad eggs which we have in every tribe in this country will stop that rascality. That is our prayer. Fulani should continue to be proud people as always, they should always maintain their values, those core values of a Fulani man.

“They should maintain it and sustain it. As a Fulani man, you are not expected to carry an AK47. It is not part of the core values of the culture of a Fulani man. But a Fulani man is expected to carry his stick and cutlass to cut grass for his animals.

“This is all that you find in a Fulani man, but definitely not AK47 or not a Fulani man to go and kill people and maim them. This is all we are saying. You know Fulanis are very enlightened people, very well educated. The best-educated people in this country, I believe, are the Fulanis; I am not being biased.”

The monarch added that the event would further enlighten the Fulani people on their cultural identity, saying, “This is an avenue for us to know who we are, what we stand for, and let everybody in Nigeria and beyond understand who are the true Fulanis, and that is the essence of this awareness forum where people from different places… some from Abuja, Lagos, even from Cameroon and Mali, gather. So, it is very significant to us so that at least all this nonsense going on about banditry and other things would stop.”