IGBOZURUOKE MEDIA

A Nigerian traveler has recounted a disturbing experience of ethnic discrimination after being allegedly denied the chance to board a commercial bus in Lagos simply because he is Fulani.

The incident reportedly began at a motor park in Lagos, where the traveler had initially gone to board a vehicle heading to Calabar. After being informed that the park did not operate that route, he was reportedly redirected to another transport company.

Arriving early the next morning, he paid the same fare as other passengers and proceeded to board the bus, expecting a routine journey. However, what followed was anything but ordinary.

According to his account, fellow passengers immediately objected to his presence, openly declaring that they would not travel in the same vehicle with a Fulani man.

The situation quickly escalated into public embarrassment, with taunts and mocking remarks, including being called a “herdsman”, directed at him.

Faced with the tension, the transport company opted to de-escalate the situation by refunding his fare and asking him not to travel on that bus.

The traveller described the experience as deeply humiliating, saying it reflects a troubling reality for many Fulani people in Nigeria today.

In recent years, Fulani communities have increasingly been caught in the crossfire of national insecurity debates. Armed groups often described as herdsmen and bandits have been linked to violent attacks, kidnappings, and killings across several regions of the country.

While these criminal activities have intensified fear and anger among affected communities, they have also fueled sweeping generalisations against the broader Fulani ethnic group.

For many ordinary Fulani citizens with no connection to violence, the consequences are becoming painfully personal, from social exclusion to outright denial of services. (Sahara Reporters)