Nigerian Army detains Miyetti Allah leader in Nasarawa

Alhaji Bello Badejo, President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, a Fulani socio-cultural organization, was arrested in Keffi, Nasarawa State, by soldiers from the Nigerian Army’s 117 Guards’ Battalion.

Bodejo was arrested on Monday after a reported confrontation between Fulani pastoralists and a retired soldier, which injured the former serviceman.

An unidentified source in Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore voiced alarm about Alhaji Badejo’s extended arrest, calling it a troubling repeat.

According to the source, Badejo was detained for more than six months earlier this year after a similar incident.

According to the source, the present incident started when Fulani pastoralists allegedly clashed with a retired Air Force officer in Tudun Wada, Karu Local Government Area.

He stated that the retired commander recruited soldiers from the Keffi barracks, who arrived in the neighborhood and fired sporadically before capturing an unspecified quantity of livestock.

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He also stated that on Monday, when Alhaji Badejo returned from a trip, soldiers invaded his office at the Maliya cattle market in Tudun Wada and held him.

“These pastoralists are neither his children nor his employees, yet he was apprehended because he is the President of the socio-cultural organization, seen as the father figure of Fulani herdsmen,” a source explained to the Daily Sun.

According to reports, Alhaji Badejo may have been transferred to the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) for additional examination.

This arrest follows a similar event in January 2024, when Badejo was detained by the Department of State Services for forming the Nomad’s Vigilante Group in Nasarawa State.

Authorities had voiced concern that the group’s actions could spark widespread unrest.