Compatriots must stop profiling the Fulani as terrorists simply because armed Herdsmen have taken over all forests from the Atlantic to the Savannah. This is like going back to 1966 when thousands of Igbo were massacred and millions more killed during the Civil War for the offence of a few officers.

We cannot shy away fro the All Progressives Congress (APC) that imported mercenaries in the bid to chase Dr. Goodluck Jonathan away from Aso Villa in 2015. And to crown it all, the party returned Gen. Muhammadu Buhari to power, thirty years after he was shoved aside in Lagos.

The gospel truth is that at no time were the Fulani so powerful in the Nigeria Army that they could take everyone for a ride. And that was until the APC and Buhari came with their heinous open border policy that allowed all shades of unknown Gunmen to rush to Nigeria from all over Africa.

At Independence in 1960, the highest ranking Fulani Army officer, was Hassan Usman Katsina. All the very senior officers were from the South.  Wellington Bassey, Johnson Aguiyi Ironsi, Samuel Ademulegun, Babafemi Ogundipe and Raphael Shodeinde. However, they were all commissioned from the ranks.

The first Nigerian to train at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, Zakari Maimalari was a Northerner but more of Kanuri than Fulani. He was sent to England in January 1950 and by the time he was commissioned, took  the identity, N/5.

Maimalari was followed by two other Northerners, Kuru Mohammed and Abogo Largema who were Officer Cadets as from  September 1952 and were commissioned as N/8 and N/9, respectively. After them came Yakubu Pam in September 1954 (N/14) and Yakubu Gowon in September 1955 (N20).

Katsina, a Fulani Prince, was at Sandhurst from January 1957 (N36). His course mate was Anthony Eze (N35). Gowon’s mates were Patrick Anwuna, Alex Madiebo, Nduka Okwechime and Arthur Unegbe. Pam’s was George Kurubo.

Following the assassination of Maimalari, Kuru Mohammed, Largema and Pam, all non Fulani, on January 15, 1965, Gowon, an Ngas, became the most senior Northern officer. And as compensation, Ironsi picked him as Army Chief.

Ironsi was assassinated on July 29, 1966. Gowon, a Lt. Col stepped in as Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, over and above superior officers like Brig. Ogundipe, Commodore Akinwale Wey, Cols Adeyinka Adebayo, Umoh and Lt. Cols Ogere Imo, Conrad Nwawo, Hilary Njoku, Kurubo, Victor Banjo and David Ejoor.

And Gowon dealt with Katsina. He went for Joseph Akahan, a Tiv, who was nearly two years the Fulani Prince’s junior at Sandhurst, as Chief of Army Staff. When Akahan died in a achopper crash, Gowon still overlooked Katsina and looked further down to appoint Iliya Bisalla, a September 1959 Intake, as successor.

It took loud body language and subtle hisses for Katsina to replace Gowon as Chief of Army Staff when war became imminent. At the end of hostilities, the Head of State quickly dropped Bisalla and went for Ejoor as Chief of Army Staff. Katsina was made redundant as Deputy Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters.

Throughout the war, Gowon made sure no Fulani officer was made General Officer Commanding (GOC). Muhammed Shuwa was Kanuri, Murtala was Afenmai ( some people on the Plateau say he was their son as well ), Benjamin Adekunle was Yoruba. When those officers were redeployed, Olusegun Obasanjo, another Yoruba, Ibrahim Haruna, from Garkida and Gibson Jalo, of Bachama background, took over.

It is therefore strange that the Fulani who did not play an active role in the Civil War are being accused of mounting a national Genocide across a country, full of warriors, especially from the Middle Belt.

Murtala excluded the Fulani from top military appointments. Yakubu Danjumà,  a Jukun, got the job of Army Chief. Defence minister, Bisalla was Murtala’s course mate. The three GOCs, Alani Akinrinade, Martin Adamu and Emmanuel Abisoye, did not have Fulani blood.

Even Buhari, as Head of State, had men like Ibrahim Babangida and Ibrahim Alfa checkmating his military appointments, especially after going for Tunde Idiagbon, a fellow Fulani, as Number Two.

Of all Army Chiefs that worked with Ibrahim Babangida, none was Fulani. Abacha was originally Kanuri. Salihu Ibrahim was Ebira. Ernest Shonekan went for Aliyu Gusau who was quickly fired by Abacha and replaced with Chris Ali. After Ali came another non Fulani, Awwal Kazir, who was succeeded by Zuru man, Ishaya Bamaiyi.

Abdusalami Abubakar retained Bamaiyi. When Obasanjo came, he moved from Victor Malu (Tiv) to Alexander Ogomudia ( Isoko ) to  Martin Luther Agwai ( Southern Kaduna) and Owoye Azazi (Izon). Goodluck Jonathan began with Azubuike  Ihejirika ( Igbo ) when he dropped his predecessor’s appointee, AbdulRahman Dambazau, and ended up with Kenneth Minimah (Opobo). Dambazau took over following Luka Yusuf’s death in London.

And even under presidents of Fulani extraction, Shehu Shagari and Umaru Yar’adua, they chose non Fulani as Army Chiefs. Shagari began with Alani Akinrinade before appointing Mohammed Wushishi. Yar’adua fetched Luka Yusuf, from Southern Kaduna.

Then came Buhari. He chose Tukur Buratai, a Bura, as Army Chief. Nigerians were deceived. Dambazau became minister of Interior, in charge of Immigration and three other Paramilitary Agencies. Hameed Ali, a retired Colonel, manned the Customs Service. These are key positions that have to do with the inflow of persons and ammunition.

Today, President Tinubu has a Yoruba Chief of Army Staff. The Customs and Immigrations bosses are Yoruba, so is the minister of Internal Affairs. If Tinubu does not undo what Buhari imposed on Nigeria, it is finished. Those who brought APC, have a lot to explain as the bloodletting continues. We must sequester  innocent and harmless Fulani from all this.