The Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore group has alleged that policemen along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway are arresting innocent Fulani herders and branding them as kidnappers.
The group also alleged that their members are being forced to pay huge amounts of money as bail.
This was disclosed by the National Secretary of the group, Saleh Alhassan, in a statement titled, ‘Arbitrary arrest and criminal extortion of Fulani herders’ on Friday.
He said innocent Fulani herders grazing cattle in villages along the highway have been arbitrarily arrested by the police in recent times and they have had to cough out thousands of naira as bail.
The spokesman said constitutionally, bail is free “but for police personnel at Katari Police Station, situated along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway, bail is for the highest bidder”.
“Suspects are forced to either pay for their freedom or they are tortured. The Police personnel are going about abducting our herders, branding them kidnappers or robbers and forcing them to pay bail under torture.
“Our herders, who are undertaking their lawful ventures, have been victims of this arbitrary arrest and demand for bail.
“Many relatives of these herders have forcefully cough out N200,000 to 1.5 million naira to bail out their subjects from the hands of these police officers.
“This is unacceptable, and we demand immediate action.
“While we have already informed the police headquarters of these happenings, we felt it necessary to also let the world know this, in view of the growing hatred, stereotyping and prejudices against our herders and Fulani ethnic group in the country,” the statement read in part.
Alhassan urged the police hierarchies to clamp down on the personnel allegedly involved in the act.
