Shehu Sani, the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Kaduna Central, has urged Nigerians to separate ethnic identity from criminality, warning against judging the entire Fulani community by the actions of a relatively small number of individuals. The message, delivered while addressing members of the National Association of Fulbe Students at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, comes as insecurity continues to dominate national conversations. Sani’s intervention effectively reminded Nigerians that ethnicity is not a police case file, even though criminals have occasionally succeeded in making entire communities answer questions they did not set. Recent reporting also confirms Sani’s continued political relevance as the APC’s Kaduna Central candidate for the 2027 election.
Shehu Sani Urges Nigerians Not to Blame All Fulani for Criminal Activities
According to the material presented to OGM News NG, Sani argued that Nigerians should not confuse being Fulani with being a criminal. His position is hardly a new theme for the politician: he has previously warned that the criminal activities of some individuals should not be used to label an entire ethnic population.
The satirical problem, of course, is that Nigerian society sometimes appears ready to issue collective punishment faster than it issues proper explanations. If criminality had an ethnic identity card, perhaps investigators would simply check the tribe section and close the file. But real criminal investigations require evidence, individual responsibility and accountability—not a census of surnames, languages or ethnic backgrounds.
Shehu Sani Challenges Nigerians to Stop Treating Ethnicity Like Evidence
Sani also pointed to the different forms of insecurity affecting Nigeria, including terrorism in the North-East, banditry and kidnapping in parts of the North-West, and communal and farmer-herder conflicts in parts of the North-Central region. He has previously advocated stronger community involvement in fighting insecurity, arguing that security agencies cannot be everywhere at once.
That distinction matters because the country’s security crisis is complicated enough without turning ethnicity into a shortcut for identifying criminals. Fulani communities have also publicly called for their youths to reject criminality and promote peace and responsible citizenship, reinforcing the argument that communities can condemn criminals without condemning an entire ethnic group.
With Sani now officially positioned as the APC candidate for Kaduna Central after the party’s 2026 primaries and subsequent nomination process, his comments also carry a political dimension as the 2027 election approaches.
For Nigerians, the message from the developing debate is straightforward: criminals should answer for their crimes, while innocent citizens should not be placed on trial because of their ethnicity. OGM News NG will continue to watch how the conversation around insecurity, ethnic profiling and political responsibility develops—and whether the next argument will finally focus on criminals rather than their neighbours.
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