50 killed, scores displaced in one week in Plateau

From Jude Owuamanam, Jos

A coalition of indigenous youth groups in Plateau State has said that no fewer than 50 people have been killed and hundreds displaced in separate attacks across various parts of the state within the last one week.

The youths, drawn from communities in Barkin Ladi, Jos South, Jos North, Bassa, Mangu and Qua’an Pan Local Government Areas, lamented that for too long their communities had borne the unbearable burden of relentless violence, with their ancestral lands allegedly invaded and villages reduced to rubble.

They also demanded an explanation over the presence of drones reportedly hovering over their communities before and after each attack.

Addressing journalists in Jos on Wednesday, the youths said they had been forced to abandon their farms, while their economic activities had been crippled, leaving hundreds displaced and uncertain about their future.

President of the Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM), Dalyop Mwantiri, who spoke on behalf of the Indigenous, Afizere, Anaguta, Atakar, Aten, Berom, Irigwe, Kulere, Mushere, Mwaghavul, Pan and Ron Youth Associations, said that despite efforts to rid their communities of bandits and other criminal elements, attacks had continued on a daily basis.

The group recalled that communities, particularly in Barkin Ladi, experienced relative peace when operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) were deployed to the area, but said the attacks resumed shortly after the operatives were withdrawn.

Mwantiri appealed to the authorities to redeploy more DSS personnel to insecurity flashpoints, expressing optimism that intelligence-driven operations would help curb the incessant attacks.

According to him, the immediate relief victims deserve is justice through the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the attacks, alongside strengthened security to prevent further bloodshed.

“The first relief victims deserve is justice, but they have not received it. Those behind these attacks must be identified, arrested and prosecuted.

“The second is improved security. We witnessed relative peace after the deployment of personnel of the Department of State Services to one of the affected local government areas. Their intelligence-driven operations made a significant difference before the recent resurgence of attacks,” he said.

Mwantiri described the condition of internally displaced persons (IDPs) as “very pathetic,” noting that although the Plateau State Government had commenced the construction of 100 housing units for displaced persons in Bokkos Local Government Area, hundreds of victims remained displaced and had yet to return to their communities.

The coalition also called for the immediate implementation of state policing to enable indigenous communities to better protect themselves.

In addition, the youths urged that traditional rulers be given greater roles in the recruitment and screening of personnel for any proposed state security outfit to prevent criminal elements from infiltrating it.

They further called on security agencies to verify the ownership of drones that they claimed frequently flew over their villages before and after attacks.

Mwantiri said: *”Often we have seen these drones fly over our communities before and after each attack, and we have been wondering what they are used for. If they are for surveillance, why are we still suffering these attacks?

“There is the need to verify the ownership of these drones to ascertain whether they belong to the military or to the insurgents.”