‘They said they wouldn’t travel with me’: Fulani man alleges ethnic discrimination by passengers in Lagos

• A Fulani traveler alleged that passengers refused to board a bus with him because of his ethnicity.

• The man said the incident occurred after he purchased a ticket for a Lagos-Calabar trip.

• The allegation has triggered debate online about ethnic profiling and discrimination.

• No official statement from the transport company had been made public at the time of reporting.

A Fulani man has sparked widespread reactions on social media after alleging that fellow passengers refused to travel in the same commercial bus with him because of his ethnic background.

The traveler, identified as Bashir Dalhatu Liman, shared his experience in a viral video, claiming that he was prevented from completing a journey after passengers reportedly objected to his presence on the vehicle.

According to Liman, the incident occurred after he purchased a ticket for a trip from Lagos to Calabar. He said he had already completed payment and was preparing to board when some passengers allegedly informed transport officials that they would not travel with him because he was Fulani.

In the video, Liman claimed that some of the passengers associated him with insecurity and referred to him as a Fulani herdsman, despite not knowing him personally.

“They said they would not go with me because I am Fulani,” he lamented in the video, describing the experience as humiliating and painful.

According to his account, the transport company eventually refunded his fare and apologized for the situation after it became clear that other passengers were unwilling to proceed with the journey.

The incident has since generated debate online, with many Nigerians expressing sympathy for the traveler and condemning what they described as ethnic profiling.

Several social media users argued that individuals should not be judged based on their ethnicity, religion or place of origin, stressing that criminal actions should be attributed to individuals rather than entire ethnic groups.

Others, however, pointed to the deep mistrust created by years of insecurity, kidnappings and violent attacks in parts of the country. They argued that growing security concerns have contributed to heightened suspicion among some members of the public.

The controversy has also reignited conversations about ethnic stereotypes and discrimination in Nigeria's multi-ethnic society.

Over the years, community leaders, civil society groups and public figures have repeatedly warned against generalizing entire ethnic groups based on the actions of criminal elements.

The Fulani ethnic group, one of the largest in West Africa, has often found itself at the center of national debates over insecurity, particularly following clashes between farmers and herders as well as inci dents involving armed criminal groups in different parts of Nigeria.

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Such perceptions can unfairly affect innocent citizens who have no connection to criminal activities.

As discussions continue online, the incident has highlighted the complex intersection of security concerns, ethnic identity and social trust in Nigeria.

At the time of filing this report, there was no publicly available statement from the transport company regarding the allegations made by the traveler.