RECENTLY, suspected Fulani terrorists killed at least 60 people and displaced nearly 2,000 others over several days in Bokkos, Plateau State. Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, the Plateau State governor, Caleb Mutfwang, painted a grim picture. He said: “These communities that have been recently attacked were part of the communities that were attacked in 2023, but they survived and rebuilt themselves… If these attacks have been going on for close to 10 years, it tells you that there is a deliberate, conscious attempt to clean out populations. As I am talking to you, there are not less than 64 communities that have been taken over by bandits on the Plateau between Bokkos, Barkin Ladi and Riyom local governments. They have been taken over and renamed, and people are living there conveniently on lands they pushed people away to occupy.”
In Benue State, armed herdsmen sacked several communities, including Otobi community in Otukpo Local Government Area, forcing many residents to flee their homes. In the same vein, Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State lamented the daily killing, dislodgement of military formations and abduction of people during a recent rampage of Boko-Haram terrorists in the state. Speaking during a Special Expanded Security Meeting, Zulum said: “My administration has been very supportive of the military and other security agencies in the fight against Boko Haram and other terrorists, leading to relative peace in the last three years. It is disheartening to note the recent attacks and dislodgement of military formations in Wajirko, Sabon Gari in Damboa local government, Wulgo in Gamboru Ngala, Izge in Gwoza local government areas, among other related killing of innocent civilians and security agencies. This calls for serious concern.”
As if the genocidal attacks in Bokkos were not enough, the nomadic herders launched another onslaught on the people of Zike Kimakpa community in Kwall District of Irigwe Chiefdom of Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, cutting down no fewer than 54 persons in cold blood. The killers reportedly rode into the area on motorbikes at about 11:32 pm on Sunday and continued their rampage till the early hours of Monday, setting the communities on fire. Following the tragedy, residents of the neighbouring villages and communities began to relocate to Jos, the state capital, and other neighbouring local governments for protection.
Reacting to the unfortunate incident, the National President of the Middle Belt Forum, Dr Bitrus Pogu, said: “The governors of Benue and Plateau states, who are chief security officers of these states, should wake up from their sleep. They should approach the federal government, which is in charge of the military, the police and all the paramilitary forces, and request permission to form a local security network. I hope Mr President will provide the governors the opportunity of complementing the Federal Government’s efforts in this regard.” Dr Pogu, who said that the government had long tolerated a terrorist enclave known as Mahanga in Plateau State, added: “This Mahanga has been known as a terrorist enclave, serving as a launching pad for attacks in Benue, Nasarawa, and parts of Kaduna State. The stretch of land also links up to Taraba State as well. This area should be combed, and the weapons there retrieved.”
In his reaction to the incident, President Bola Tinubu urged Governor Mutfwang to summon the necessary political will to resolve the crisis in the state and establish enduring peace. He said: “Beyond dealing with the criminal elements of these incessant killings, the political leadership in Plateau State, led by Governor Caleb Mutfwang, must address the root cause of this age-long problem. These problems have been with us for more than two decades. We can no longer ignore the underlying issues. It is time to tackle them fairly and find a lasting solution. I have discussed these problems with the governor over time and offered suggestions for lasting peace. The Federal Government remains committed to supporting Governor Mutfwang and the Plateau State government in promoting dialogue, fostering social cohesion, and ensuring accountability—crucial steps towards permanently resolving the conflict in Plateau.”
The Federal Government has, of course, been telling itself what it wants to hear. In the face of data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) showing that Nigeria recorded 9,355 fatalities from “political violence,” the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, recently said that deaths from violent crimes had reduced by 90 percent. Speaking in Jos, Plateau State, shortly after a meeting with the Commander of Operation Safe Haven, Major General Folusho Oyinlola, following the murderous attack on Bokkos community, Ribadu said: “In the last one-year-ten-months, violent deaths have been reduced probably by over 90 percent in our country. We have the statistics. In 2022 and 2023, those who lost their lives as a result of extreme violence in the country have reduced. I can assure you that justice will be done. Those who are found responsible will be prosecuted. We are doing it across the country. This government has prosecuted close to 2,000 terrorists and we have got many convictions. We will not relent; we are serious, we are honest about what we are doing.”
No doubt, the situation in Plateau, Benue and Borno is dire. Despite failing to activate state policing, the Federal Government, the sole custodian of the repressive apparatuses of the Nigerian State, has been calling on the affected state governments to tame the killings. How are they to do that when they have absolutely no resources with which to confront the merchants of death and destruction and when the heads of the security agencies do not take any instructions from them? And what are the ordinary people to do when the governors are helpless and clearly overwhelmed by the security challenges? How can terrorists hold sway across the country for decades, shedding blood at will, without any response by the government? Is the government not unwittingly telling the survivors of the attacks and other citizens to look for weapons wherever they can find them and defend themselves, or risk extermination like their kith and kin who were massacred by the terrorists? Just how can terrorists be wiping out indigenous populations from their ancestral heritage and renaming their towns and cities in a country that has a government? How can the government be surrendering people’s land to terrorists? How can the government allow terrorists to keep dislodging military formations, leaving people without any protection whatsoever?
The government must act fast. It is time to tame terrorists. It is time to roll out state policing and make the country safe. No country grows with terrorists on the rampage.
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