Nasarawa State’s Governor Abdullahi Sule has distanced himself from the controversy surrounding the newly created Nomad Vigilante Group by the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, a Fulani socio-cultural organisation for cattle herdsmen.
Sule acknowledged being invited on January 17 as a Special Guest during the inauguration of the outfit.
However, he has come out categorically to deny involvement in its formation.
The Nomad Vigilante Group was inaugurated on January 17, 2024, at the City Square in Lafia, capital of Nasarawa State.
The inauguration of the Nomad Vigilante Group sparked nationwide condemnation, especially as many kidnapping episodes had been traced to Fulani terrorists and herdsmen.
Following the creation of the group and the attendant outcry by critics, speculations arose that the Department of State Services DSS arrested Alhaji Abdullahi Bello Bodejo, President of Miyetti Allah.
But the DSS denied the report, stating that Bodejo was never in its custody.
However, Sule, while receiving members of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly on a congratulatory visit over his recent victory at the Supreme Court, stated that the state government did not participate in the creation of the vigilante group.
According to him, if the establishment of such a group had his or his government’s blessings, a Bill would have been forwarded to the State Assembly for consideration.
He said that the issue was currently under investigation by the country’s security agencies.
“The security agencies are already investigating the issue. We refused to be part of it because it was purely an issue of the security agencies,” the Governor stated.
Sule explained that the state government did not recognise the Nomad Vigilante, just like any other vigilante groups in the state.
He emphasised that the only vigilante group recognised by both the Federal Government and the state was the community policing initiative.
He said, “As far as we are concerned, there is only one vigilante group recognized by the Federal Government, which we also recognised in the state. We have recognised community policing.
“If anybody should know that the government has recognised any vigilante group, you should know more because that bill should have come to you as lawmakers, and you should be the one to pass the bill before we can do that.”