The targeted killings of members of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in Kwara State have taken a deadly turn, as yet another member, identified as Dabe, was assassinated by unknown gunmen on Tuesday night.
According to Daily Trust, Debe was killed in Kanbi town along the Ilorin-Jebba highway in the Moro Local Government Area.
This fresh assassination comes barely days after the murder of the association’s chairman, Idris Abubakar, who was shot dead in front of his residence at Oke-Ose, Oke-Oyi town, in Ilorin East Local Government Area on Saturday night.
The killings have heightened tensions among Fulani herders in Kwara, with many fearing they are being systematically eliminated for their cooperation with security agencies in combating criminal elements within the cattle breeding community.
It was reported that Debe who also doubled as a vigilante, was ambushed and gunned down around 10 PM, in a style eerily similar to previous assassinations targeting MACBAN members.
His murder is the fifth in two weeks, all reportedly connected to opposition against criminal elements posing as herdsmen.
Reacting to the rising body count, MACBAN’s Kwara State Secretary, Mallam Abdulazeez Mohammed, described the killings as a coordinated attempt to silence Fulani leaders actively working against crime within their ranks.
“Our chairman was assassinated because he stood against kidnapping and other criminal activities. He had been trailed by these criminals for over five months before they finally ambushed him,” Abdulazeez stated.
The secretary disclosed that Abubakar had received multiple death threats from criminal elements warning him to cease his collaboration with security agencies.
“They told him he would be eliminated if he didn’t back down. But he refused to compromise. He fought to clean our name and paid the ultimate price,” Abdulazeez said.
Sources within MACBAN claim the association’s leadership has been marked for elimination due to their strong stance against cattle rustling, kidnapping, and banditry, which have long plagued the region.
“These Fulani leaders consistently warned criminal elements at gatherings and meetings. This is why they became targets,” Abdulazeez lamented.
