In what appears outrageous and inciting, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has said Fulani people will always take revenge whenever they suffer injustice. The governor also said they do not argue with punishment meted out to them whenever they are justly convicted of a crime.
El-Rufai said this on Thursday during a webinar organised by the Africa Leadership Group with the theme, ‘Developing a Viable Nation 2’ hosted by Pastor of Trinity House church Ituah Ighodalo.
The governor noted this when he was asked to explain his tweet in 2012 wherein he said, “Anyone, soldier or not, that kills the Fulani, takes a loan repayable one day no matter how long it takes.”
El-Rufai had been asked why he made the comment and if the Igbo would be vindicated to take revenge on other Nigerians that killed them during the Biafran war.
In his response, the governor said, “If a Fulani man dies in war, it is different. If a Fulani man is arrested by the authorities and convicted, it is not an issue. What the Fulani never forgets is when he is innocently targeted and killed and the authorities do nothing. He will never forget and he will come back for revenge. This is it.
“So, it is better to understand the context given of what I tweeted which had to do with an issue in Plateau State in 2012. I hope you get the context. So, it is not that Fulani will never forget. Anyone that goes through pain and sorrow either forgets or doesn’t forget but when it is extrajudicial, when it is extra-official, the attitude is completely different.
“This is the context in which Fulani never forgets. It is not in every context. As I said, I lost relations during the war. It doesn’t mean I still hold a grudge. We’ve moved past that.”