The Fulani Society in Ghana has expressed disgust about the bad perception some Ghanaians have about them.

According to the Fulani society, they are also legal citizens of Ghana and should be treated as such by various ethnic groups in the country.

Speaking at the National Forum for Fulanis in Accra last Saturday, Chief Alhaji Osman Ahmed, Fulani Chief, Ashanti Region, urged his people to respect the rules and tradition of society in which they find themselves; “we should try our best to live in peace with the people around us.”

He acknowledged that Fulanis had caused some problems in the country and pleaded with Ghanaians not to see them as criminals.

“There’s no place like Ghana, and you cannot have any other place as peaceful as this country across West Africa. We have abled leaders who are in charge of the country. Our forefathers were here and did not leave the country, so we’re not ready to also leave this country

“If we’re not ready to leave this country then we have to go by the rules and regulations of the country. We should go by the constitution of the country because that’s the pillar of the country,” he told the gathering.

He, however, bemoaned the cattle ranching system in Ghana and suggested that “it is time we put our heads together to find the best system of animal husbandry.”

According to Alhaji Ahmed, Fulanis have a major role to play in the economic development of the country, arguing that, “we’re in the livestock production industry, we produce cattle and meat, and the government is benefitting from us.”

He said it was time for his people to take education serious to discover the right and best method of rearing cattle.

Speaking at the forum, Chief Iddris Bingle, representative of the Fulani Youth Association of Ghana assured Ghanaians they were willing to corporate to fish out criminals among them.

He further appealed to Ghanaians to stop associating Fulanis with crime, saying, “in every community and in every tribe there are bad nuts.

“On behalf of the youth we would like to plead with Ghanaians that we the Fulanis are humble, shy and law abiding,” he said.

ACP Charles Domamba, Divisional Police Commander, Madina, who represented the Police Service, urged the Fulanis to report any bad act against them to the police instead of taking the laws into their hands.

According to him, the Police are there to protect every citizen, hence the need to corporate with the security agency to fight criminals and maintain peace in the society.

“The police are there for the community, and if we don’t have good links with the people we’ll not be able to get information that will assist us in our investigations.

“The Police Service was established to protect lives and property, so it is our duty to protect you and your property,” ACP Domamba said.

The forum, which was organised by Tabital Plulaaku International Ghana, aimed at bringing together Fulanis in the country to deliberate on the way forward in society.

The forum attracted members from Nigeria, Togo, Burkina Faso, and other West African countries.