IN SHORT: A viral video on social media appears to show that the traditional leader of Taraba has directed all Fulani herders to leave the Taraba forests in April 2025. But these posts are misleading as the video has been online since 2021.
A viral video on Facebook has claimed that Emir Abbas Tafida of Muri in Taraba state has given Fulani herders a 30-day ultimatum to exit the region.
Tafida has governed the people of Muri in the northwestern part of Taraba state since he ascended the throne in 1988.
The caption added to one post dated 7 April reads: "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."
In the video the emir can be seen speaking in the Hausa language. Part of it translates to: “I want to make a significant remark for everyone to hear. Our Fulani bororo in the jungle, you came to this land, you are our brothers, we agree you are our brothers. If you are Muslims like us, then it is absolutely wrong to continue to kidnap us one by one and ask for ransom to stop.
“Allah does not approve this act. For this reason, I am giving every bandit in our territory a 30-day ultimatum from today to leave our forest or else we will set out to apprehend dead or alive anyone culpable. If you don’t come out from hiding and face the authorities, then we will have no choice but to draw the battle line.”
Taraba state is located in the north-eastern region of Nigeria.
The Fulani are a widely dispersed group of mainly Muslim cattle herders scattered across West Africa. In Nigeria, the Fulani have been accused of attacking communities, kidnapping, robbery and murder. But some Fulani communities, in turn, accuse the media of stereotyping them.
The term “bororo” refers to the generally lighter complexion of the Fulani.
The video has been viewed 12,000 times.
But has the emir of Taraba truly given the Fulani a 30-day ultimatum to leave the state? We checked.
Video not recent
Africa Check broke the video into keyframes and ran the frames through a Google reverse image search. We discovered that the video has been online since July 2021. Tafida made the remarks at the time of the 2021 Eid al-Fitr celebration, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in response to a Fulani attack in the north.
There is no evidence to suggest that the video is recent and was made in light of the events in Nigeria in 2025.
More posts promoting this misleading claim can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
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