President of the Movement, Dr Bitrus Pogu, who led a delegation of the MBM to Governor Simon Lalong on a condolence visit alleged they were premeditated killings.
“We want to put it on record that these killings were not herdsmen and farmers’ clashes; they were one sided and calculated killings of our people by terrorists or whatever name they are called.We are not fighting them, they are the ones coming to kill our people. That narrative has to change, your Excellency. We are calling and appealing to our governors to unite and collectively fight this menace. Unless that is done one by one, our people will be killed; village after village will be taken over and our farms will be forcefully taken over, that has to stop.
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“While appealing for unity, we are also appealing to the Federal Government under President Mohammadu Buhari to have a look at our people passionately; to also come around and feel the pains of our people in the villages where these things are happening so that he will appreciate the value of our people and be able to proffer solution.
“We are also appealing that, on your part, you will look into some of the issues being raised now by some senior people in government because every nationality in Nigeria has demarcating areas which are known to be their own land. This cannot be forcefully taken by anybody.
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“The land of the Tarok is for the Tarok, the land of Berom is for the Berom. We should appeal to the Federal Government to look into these issues; our lives are not so cheap that people will just come and slaughter Middle Belters without provocation and get away free,” he said.
He enjoined the governor to come to the aid of those arrested by security agencies without any connection to the killings, adding that the government should see that justice is done.
Said he: “In crying sometimes these people are picked up by the security agencies; we should come to their aid and to see to it that justice is done because the aggressors are known, our people are not aggressors, they stay in their homes, these aggressors come, ambushed them and killed them, burn their houses and occupy their villages. This should be carried to the appropriate authority so that succor will come to our people”.
Responding on behalf of the governor, the deputy governor, Professor Sonny Tyoden who called for the overhaul of the security architecture of the country said it was a surprise that eleven villages could be under attack for seven hours and the security agencies on ground could not respond accordingly.
“If eleven villages can be under attack for seven hours and we have the whole division located here, apart from the STF on ground. There are questions one keep asking; unfortunately nobody is in a position to give appropriate answer. It is like a process of intimidation and conquest of the Middle Belt as it were. So it is time for all of us to join hands. This is the time for all of us in the Middle to look within ourselves, rediscover the position of the Middle Belt before and rebuild that trust and confidence we used to have within ourselves, Prof.Tyoden said.
Speaking further he said: “It is not just a Plateau issue or Middle Belt issue, it is a national issue; anyone who is not speaking now his patriotism needs to be questioned. This is an issue which all Nigerians need to join hands and speak loudly against. herdsmen’s killings
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