A video showing Abbas Tafida, the Emir of Muri kingdom in Taraba State, issuing a directive to herders to leave the state has resurfaced online.
According to the video, Tafida issued a 30-day ultimatum to herders terrorizing residents of the state to vacate forests within the state or be forced to do so.
An X user, Dr Crocs (@MgajiInnocent), posted the video with a caption that read:
“We give Bororo Fulani 30 days to leave Taraba State, or we will hunt them one by one and neutralize them, they come to kidnap us one after the other, enough is enough” ~Emir Abbas Tafida (Emir of Muri Taraba State). Dear @BashirAhmaad the Fulanis are not profiled.”
The post has generated over 200,000 views, with more than 1,500 reposts and more than 2,500 likes as of April 8, 2025.
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Another X user, Aina Dipo (@dipoaina1) posted the video with another caption thus:
“Emir Abbas Tafida of Muri Taraba State: Has given the Bororo Fulani 30 days to leave Taraba State, or they will hunt them one by one and neutralize them, he further said Islam does not per this herders to be doing this heinous crime against humanity. If this isn’t fixed with time it will turn into something else. The respective security agency should take action and secure the lives and properties of the people.”
The post, now deleted, has generated 90 reposts and more than 100 likes as of April 8, 2025.
The video has also been shared by multiple users on social media as seen here and here.
CLAIM
Video shows Emir of Muri in Taraba State asking herders to leave the state recently.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING, as the video is not recent and has been online since 2021.
Our fact-checker observed that the claim gained traction online following a recent attack on the Hurti community in Plateau State, which resulted in the killing of over 40 people, the destruction of 383 houses, and the displacement of more than 1,000 residents, Punch reported.
In addition to Hurti, the assailants, suspected to be armed herders, also targeted other communities, including Josho and Daffo, located in the Manguna District of Bokkos Local Government Area (LGA), the report added.
Plateau State has long grappled with recurring violence, often stemming from tensions between nomadic herders and indigenous farming communities over land ownership and access to natural resources.
Like Plateau, Taraba State, located in the Northeastern region of Nigeria, is faced with heinous crimes ranging from kidnapping to bandit attacks.
Our fact-checker subjected keyframes in the video to a Google Reverse Image Search and the results show that the video has been online since 2021. An earlier version of the video can be seen here and here as published by credible media platforms.
After the Eid prayers held in July 2021, the emir issued a 30-day ultimatum to herders terrorizing residents of the state to vacate forests within the state or be forced to do so.
This followed a rising spate of kidnappings, killings, and attacks in the state by criminals suspected to be herders.
Tafida claimed that Fulani herders were responsible for perpetrating crimes in the state and should therefore vacate forests in the state within 30 days or be forced out.
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The Emir who spoke in Hausa language urged the leadership of Fulani Herdsmen to fish out the bad eggs among them.
“Our Fulani herdsmen in the forests, you came into this state and we accepted you, why then will you be coming to towns and villages to kidnap residents, even up to the extent of raping our women?
“Because of this unending menace, every Fulani herdsman in this state has been given thirty days ultimatum to vacate the forests.
“We are tired of having sleepless nights, and the hunger alone in the land is enormous, and we will not allow it to continue,” the Emir said in 2021.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the video shows Emir of Muri in Taraba State asking herders to leave the state recently is MISLEADING, as the video has been online since 2021.
Nurudeen Akewushola is a fact-checker with FactCheckHub. He has authored several fact checks which have contributed to the fight against information disorder. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 via Twitter.
