Governor of Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwang, has declared that the state has not been immune from attack since the inception of this political dispensation in 1999, claiming that bandits and terrorists have taken over almost all the state’s forests, game reserves and grazing areas.
Mutfwang, who disclosed this at a stakeholders’ meeting with eminent citizens of the state over the recent spate of killings on the Plateau on Monday, said the intelligence reports depicted that Wase Grazing Reserve in Wase Local Government, Pandam Games Reserve in Qua’ Pan Local Government Area, among others, have become dens of bandits, terrorists, kidnappers and abodes for criminal elements.
“Today, there is no senatorial zone in this state that is without its share of conflict. In Wase, for instance, a grazing reserve was developed as far back as the days of Northern Nigeria. Maybe Honourable Wase will help us trace when that reserve was last put to use, but certainly, for the last 10 years or more, that area has been inaccessible.
“Kanam has also come under siege. The intelligence we are getting from Pandam Games Reserve is disturbing. It has become a haven for kidnappers and a sort of stock exchange for ransom transactions. Many of the kidnappings that took place in Shendam have also been linked to the games reserve,” the governor said.
He stated that apart from the Langtang North and Langtang South councils in the Southern zone that have been somewhat spared, other local government areas in the state are bombarded by the unfortunate development, adding that it has been a recurring decimal for more than two decades.
“In essence, Plateau is under siege. Why us? Who is behind this? Where are they coming from? Who is sponsoring them? What is their aim? These are questions I thought I should not answer alone. I felt I should gather the leaders of Plateau so we can put our heads together. For how long shall this continue?” he asked.
“Perhaps, one reason this has persisted is because we have, for a long time, failed to come together as Plateau people to speak with one voice. When this crisis started, it was seen as a Tarok problem. Later, it became a Berom problem. Today, none of us has been spared, but it seems we are still acting like every man for himself”.
The governor added that the state cannot move forward unless it tames the elephant in the room that has haunted the state for the last two decades.
He charged the people of the state to rise up and come together and ensure that the blessed state is preserved and the blessing embedded in it is maximised.
On the narrative that the killings in the state are a result of clashes between farmers and herders, the governor declared, “How can bandits occupy the Wase grazing reserve, and someone call that a clash? How can they be in forests in Kanam, and someone say it is a clash?
“When it happened in December 2023 in Bokkos, when gunmen attacked defenceless communities with sophisticated weapons on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, what clash was that? Isn’t it time we all united to reject this falsehood?
“If we don’t speak with one voice, many advisers will mislead Mr President into believing we are the aggressors or that we are intolerant. We must come together.
This is the time to show that you are a true lover of Plateau. This is the time to hold one another’s hands, not throw each other under the bus. There is enough time between now and 2027. When the time comes, we politicians will do what we know how to do. But, if there’s no Plateau, who will we represent?
He said, “I know there’s a lot on my shoulders, but I can’t do it alone. Every leader wants to be assured that his people are with him. I have no other vested interest, but to ensure that not an inch of this land that God gave our forefathers is lost. I ask you to join in preserving this heritage.
“Let it not be on our watch, as leaders, that the inheritance of our children and grandchildren is lost simply because we couldn’t speak with one voice,” the governor said.
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