MACBAN Condemns Sunday Igboho’s Pardon, Accuses Him of Targeting Fulani Communities
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), the umbrella group representing Fulani herders, has strongly condemned the presidential pardon granted to Yoruba self-determination activist Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho.
In a statement released by its South-West Zone on Tuesday, MACBAN described the pardon as “tribal justice” and a stark reminder of the Nigerian state’s failure to protect Fulani lives in Oyo State. The association accused Igboho and his supporters of launching violent attacks on Fulani settlements between 2020 and 2021, resulting in deaths, arson, theft of cattle, and the forced displacement of entire families.
Alhaji Mumini Muhammad, MACBAN’s South-West Coordinator, said the decision has been met with outrage, grief, and outright rejection by Fulani communities. The statement cited the January 22, 2021 attack in Igangan, Ibarapa North Local Government Area, as particularly devastating, alongside similar assaults in Iseyin and other locations across Oyo State.
“These were not rumours or misunderstandings,” the statement emphasized. “They were deliberate acts of violence witnessed by many and carried out in full view of authorities.”
MACBAN also criticized the role of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, highlighting Igboho’s longstanding personal ties to the traditional ruler and questioning why neither he nor the Oyo State government intervened at the time.
The group contrasted Igboho’s pardon with the continued detention of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Nnamdi Kanu, asking whether justice in Nigeria is now determined by ethnicity.
“The Fulani community is not seeking revenge,” the statement said. “We are demanding justice.” MACBAN outlined several demands, including formal acknowledgment of crimes against Fulani communities, compensation for affected families, and a public explanation for Igboho’s pardon to ensure equal application of the law.
“National unity cannot survive where victims are ignored and perpetrators are celebrated,” MACBAN concluded. “This stands as a permanent record of our demand for fairness, dignity, and equal justice under the law.”
