“Desperate times call for desperate measures.”
—Hippocrates
By Enyeribe Ejiogu
The indigenous people of Plateau State are mourning. Their anguish is not abating. Each time the murderous armed terrorists, invited from the Sahel by their kith and kin in the country, attack and wantonly kill innocent residents and burn down their homes, the high decibel of another wave of wailing rents the air.
In cyclic fashion, the killings have continued. With no serious effort or even the remote show of eagerness by the security agencies to confront the menace in an intentional, focused, strategic and determined manner, the beat goes on and the deadbodies count continues to rise.
As of today, more than 300 people have been killed in Plateau State since May 29, 2023 and tens of hundreds sustaining various degrees of injuries just as many have lost household property to the attacks.
Plateau, the once idyllic place famed for its temperate weather, which attracted foreign and Nigerian tourists like bees going after nectar, particularly in the Shere Hills area and Kuru, landlord to the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPPS, has lost the sheen that made it a beautiful destination.
Today, the slogan of the state, Home of Peace and Tourism, now has a big question mark. All because of the horrendous killings being witnessed currently.
To say the least, Governor Caleb Mutfwang can hardly drink a cup of highland tea with joy – as security reports stream in, minute to minute.
For Dr Chima Onwukeme and innumerable others born and raised in Jos, the continuous streaming of blood-curdling news about Plateau State have left them not just disturbed, but also stupefied.
How on earth has this been allowed to continue to happen? That question must be running through the mind of Onwukeme, who graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Ibadan in 1986 before going for specialty training in the United States more than 30 years ago.
His family owned businesses and property in Jos before his father relocated to the Southeast after he retired from running his chain of enterprises.
Ask Emmanuel Emeghara, another Jos man by adoption, about the situation in his beloved Plateau State, his response would be a flow of tears for the heinous killings being perpetrated by the Sahelian terrorists running loose all over the state, and facilitated by what appears to be deliberate lukewarmness of the security services.
As one considers the ease with which the terrorists operate, unhindered and unchallenged by the security agencies that are supposed to be deployed in the state, it is only proper to begin to believe the allegation made by the highly respected former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Theophilus Danjuma (rtd), a former minister of Defense in the cabinet of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
In an address he presented at a public lecture, he pointedly accused the security forces of colluding with the terrorists attacking and killing people in communities.
Without mincing words, he strongly called on the people to defend themselves against the onslaught of attacks by the terrorists masquerading as herdsmen.
Thinking along the same line of thought like Danjuma, the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi, on February 13, 2025, said communities should be their own first line of defense.
He emphasized that security agencies cannot protect everyone and advocated for community involvement in security matters.
Ajayi suggested empowering communities with some level of armament to serve as the first line of defense against insecurity.
He made this statement during a lecture at the National Association of the Institute for Security Studies in Abuja.
Like what his counterparts are doing in other parts of the country, Governor Mutfwang and the state legislature should speedily establish an armed vigilance group to be led by retired, but able military and police personnel.
He should activate and once again fire up the famed military prowess of Langtang warriors whose tenacity contributed immensely to the success of Nigerian forces during the civil war. Desperate situations, it is said, demand desperate solutions.
It has been abundantly established that the terrorists ravaging communities across the country are not Nigerians.
Therefore, they are invaders who must not be cuddled anymore except their murderous activities are the manifestations of an agenda that is no more hidden.
If a local government in Delta State can set up a corps of forest guards to rid the forests of kidnappers and militant herders and thereby protect farmers and their crops from wanton destruction, which has been the hallmark of the herders, then Governor Mutfwang, as the chief security officer of Plateau State can do no less.
Men recruited into the corps will be trained to discharge the peculiar assignment set before them, which is to secure the forests and farms and shield the people from the indiscriminate killings, rape and destruction of crops that have become the lot of the people.
In a Winston Churchill kind of speech, which the World War 2 prime minister of Britain made to Britons in the heat of the relentless bombing of England by the air force of Nazi German, it is heartwarming that Governor Mutfwang has risen to the occasion.
In the address to the state, he acknowledged the “weight of the pain inflicted upon the people of Plateau and the sorrow caused by the heart-wrenching attacks” that had taken the lives of innocent citizens in communities.
Recalling some of the atrocious acts committed by the terrorists, he said: “The calm of Kimakpa area of Kwall District in Bassa LGA was shattered by violent assaults on Zike village. Innocent men, women, and children were murdered in cold blood. Homes were torched, properties ravaged, and entire families left in agony. These attacks occurred even as we were still mourning the loss of over 50 lives in Bokkos. The scale, frequency, and intent of these atrocities are unmistakable.
“Let us be clear: this is not random violence. This is not an isolated conflict between farmers and herders. What we are witnessing is a systematic and premeditated campaign – one that seeks to displace, destabilize, and instill terror and fear on our people and communities. The tragic echoes of Dogo Na Hawa, Riyom, Barkin-Ladi, Mangu, and the Christmas Eve massacres in Bokkos remain vivid. The cycle continues, but it must not endure. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!”
He said further: “Plateau shall not be overrun by fear, nor shall we accept this culture of bloodshed as the new normal.
“Only days ago, I visited Hurti, Mbar, Manguna, and Daffo to witness firsthand the devastation left behind by the terrorists. I had earlier stopped at Ruwi, where mourners were brazenly attacked at a wake. What I saw moved me profoundly—the suffering of displaced families now crammed into churches and temporary shelters, their lives uprooted overnight.”
Commendably, the governor has taken some steps in response to the vicious rampage of the terrorists, by banning night grazing of cattle as well as transportation of the animals after 7:00 p.m. Both activities serve as smokescreen for moving weapons as has been proven by Amotekun operatives in the Southwest, who intercepted the couriers during routine night time searches of inbound trucks from northern parts of the country.
Also, and very importantly, Mutfwang said: “We are also activating community-based response systems. I urge traditional leaders and youth associations to reactivate local vigilante groups and organize night patrols in coordination with the security agencies. We must protect our communities while upholding the rule of law.
“Let it be known: the Plateau spirit is resilient. We are a people of peace, renowned for our hospitality and unity across religious and ethnic lines. Those who seek to tear us apart must not succeed.”
To lovers of the idyllic Plateau of old, his resolute declaration is ordinarily reassuring: “Plateau will definitely continue its rise. Nothing will stop it. Plateau will prevail. Plateau will not fall. Plateau will stand tall. Plateau will continue to flourish, to the Glory of God.”