Fulani groups in northern Nigeria have expressed concern over what they call the victimization of their community due to the security challenges in the region.
They allege that innocent Fulani people are being unfairly targeted through humiliation, burning of their huts, looting, or rustling of their livestock, in addition to killings in various places.
This also prevents them from moving freely and accessing towns, markets, and interacting with other people.
Recent complaints by the Fulani community about the kind of oppression they are crying about originated from Zamfara State, where a Fulani leader in Gummi Local Government Area said the Fulani have become afraid to come out or travel on the roads due to unprovoked attacks by vigilantes simply because they are Fulani.
"As I speak, our route here from Gummi, a Fulani man cannot pass because of the vigilante problem; they arrest and kill us."
When asked if it is some criminals who are doing this, he said: "It is not criminals doing this, but armed vigilantes," he said.
When asked if he thinks the accusation that some Fulani are carrying out attacks is what is causing this, he said, "Among the Fulani, not everyone is a criminal."
Zamfara and other northwestern states of the country are facing the problem of deadly armed bandits and kidnappers demanding ransom.
It is alleged that the Fulani are the majority among the armed bandits attacking communities.
However, experts believe what is fueling the crisis is the activities of vigilantes defending villages under attack, where they are sometimes accused of taking actions outside legal procedures due to a lack of training.
In response, the Zamfara State government has denied the occurrence of such incidents and pledged to address the problem, according to Mustapha Jafaru Kaura, the media adviser to Governor Dauda Lawal.
"Regarding this issue of vigilantes killing Fulani in Zamfara, the state government does not support any form of injustice, oppression, or victimization and will not condone such actions."
"A committee will be set up soon to conduct an investigation and punish the culprits."
Zamfara State established the Askarawa security force, which supports the Nigerian government military operating in the region.
However, the Askarawa have previously been accused of excesses in carrying out their duties, to the extent that the state government said it would conduct an investigation into the matter.