From Jude Dangwam, Jos
Following the killing of over 100 innocent natives of Bokkos and Bassa local government areas of Plateau State in one week, Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang convened an emergency stakeholders meeting to chat a way forward for the restoration of peace in the state.
The meeting held in Jos, the capital of the state, brought together an array of distinguished Plateau citizens, including former governors, serving and former senators, current and former members of the House of Representatives, former ministers, traditional rulers, religious leaders from the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), among other key stakeholders.
The emergency meeting sought to answer the pertinent questions begging for answers over the years: Who is after Plateau? Why Plateau? Where are the attackers coming from? Who is sponsoring them? What is their aim?
The retrospect became necessary considering the fact that successive government in the state battled with same trend of violent conflicts and seem to have no solution as the entire senatorial zones of the state had a fair share of the troubles since its inception in 2001.
Perturbed by the wanton destruction of lives and properties over the years, Mutfwang recalled that the crisis which did not begin during his tenure must be thoroughly looked into in other to established who are those after Plateau State.
Going down memory lane, he said: “I recall even before I got involved in politics, there were already issues of insecurity. These eventually led President Obasanjo to declare a state of emergency on the Plateau during the tenure of Chief Joshua Dariye.
“Moving forward to the tenure of Governor Jang, we also know the kind of tensions that erupted. Even then, a state of emergency was contemplated, though it never saw the light of day.
“In the last administration, particularly in Bassa, I’m told the community documented all the attacks and deaths that took place between 2015 to date. Many would be shocked to learn that nearly 3,000 people were lost, particularly in the Miango axis.
“Fast forward to today, if you search online, you’ll find that the dominant impression about Plateau State is that it is no longer a land of peace. Since then, many commissions of inquiry have been set up to unravel the causes of this cycle of violence that has plagued our state.
“Today, there is no senatorial zone in this state that is without its share of conflict, perhaps the only local governments in the southern zone that have been somewhat spared are Langtang South, Langtang North and Mikang.
“In Wase, for instance, a grazing reserve was developed as far back as the days of Northern Nigeria. We can’t tell when that reserve was last put to use, but certainly not for the last 10 years or more, that area has been inaccessible.
“Kanam has also come under siege. The intelligence we are getting from Panda is very 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 Panda.”
The governor maintained that the Central Zone of the state is not left out. “You know that Bokkos and Mangu have been severely hit, particularly in the last two years. Bokkos has been a recurring decimal for over a decade, and Mangu has now joined. The crisis has even spread into Pankshin; Kanke is not spared either. Reports of kidnappings there are becoming alarming.
“In the Northern Zone, perhaps the only local government that might appear relatively calm is Jos North. But that does not mean Jos North has been spared. One of the most dangerous cultic groups Sarasuka operates there. That cult group has taken many lives and we have been trying to tackle them.
“Yelwa, bordering Riyom and those border communities in Jos South have come under tremendous siege recently not to mention areas that have experienced long-term instability. Why us? Who is behind this? Where are they coming from? Who is sponsoring them? What is their aim?” Mutfwang asked
Against the narrative that the situation in the state is a clash between herders and farmers, the governor refuted such narrative. “When I came on board, the dominant narrative at national and international levels was that Plateau is suffering from a clash between farmers and herders, I ask you, sir, is that true?
“I have tried to debunk that narrative, but if my efforts are misinformed, please correct me. Otherwise, how can bandits occupy the Wase grazing reserve, and someone calls that a clash? How can they be in forests in Kanam, and someone says it is a clash?
“When it happened in December 2023 in Bokkos, when gunmen attacked defenseless communities with sophisticated weapons on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, what clash was that?” Mutfwang rhetorically questioned.
Recall that a Fulani group under the umbrella of Coalition of Fulani Registered Organizations (COFRO) Plateau State Chapter has given conditions for peace in Plateau State in the face of the rising attacks on local communities in their sleep.
Among others, the demand of COFRO is the immediate and unconditional release of all arrested and detained Fulani people, disclosure of the whereabouts of their missing members as a result of an alleged attack on their communities by security agencies and a guarantee that natives will no longer kill their cattle.
The chairman of the coalition, Garba Abdullahi Muhammad, who gave the conditions at a news briefing in Kaduna, further claimed that lack of justice from government and security agency to affected Fulani herdsmen and their families was responsible for the escalation of the crisis in Plateau State.
He said: “We call on the federal government to set an independent and unbiased panel of inquiry to investigate these incidents and compensate victims appropriately regardless of religious or ethnic affiliations.
“The government should deploy neutral security personnel to restore peace and normalcy, protect the Fulani community and other communities from aggression and intimidation.
“We also demand the immediate removal of the Commander, Sector 5 Operation Safe Haven Bokkos, Col. Dauda Magem, for bias, unprofessional military conduct, inciting violence, inciting religious intolerance and bigotry, incompetence and violation of military ethics and constitutional provisions.
“We call for unconditional release of all arrested and detained people and disclosure of the whereabouts of the missing individuals as a result of the commander marauding attacks on their communities.”
The coalition chairman also called for the “disbandment” of the Operation Rainbow state security outfit, which he referred to as “anti-Muslim squad, the arrest and prosecution of operatives allegedly involved in the killing, maiming, arresting and displacing Fulani communities in Bokkos.”
The National President of the Conference of Autochthonous Ethnic Communities Development Association (CONECDA) Youth Wing in Nigeria, Comrade. Paul Joshua Dekete, described the peace conditions by the Fulani group as a clear admittance to the ongoing carnage in Plateau State and called for the arrest of the leaders of the group by security agencies for further investigation on their operations and missions in Plateau State.
Former Minister of Youth and Sport Development, Hon. Solomon Dalung, speaking with Daily Sun described the group as “faceless people” questioning the rationale behind their media address in Kaduna State rather than Plateau State where they claimed to have come from.
“Kaduna Declaration or Kaduna Distraction? We are equally disturbed by a recent gathering in Kaduna where a group claiming to represent Fulani interests declared a condition for peace in Plateau State.
“We ask, if they are truly from Plateau, why did they not hold this gathering in Jos, Plateau? Why are people who claim to be victims demanding pre-conditions before peace? This is not negotiation, it is extortion veiled in ethnic entitlement,” Dalung noted.
The former minister called for the activation of a homegrown security solution to face the ravaging terrorist who are bent on disposing natives of their ancestral lands.
Dalung, who is the Comrade-General of Movement for the Emancipation of Nigeria (MEN), addressing a press conference on the lingering killing in the state, insisted that there is nothing like farmers/herders clash but a clear case of genocide.
He said: “This is not farmers vs herders. It is genocide. Let us be clear, this is not farmers-herders clash. What is happening in Plateau State is systematic ethnic cleansing and a genocidal project.
“The targeted nature of the attacks, the patterns of displacement, and the governor’s own revelation that 64 communities have been taken over by terrorists all point to a deliberate plan to wipe out indigenous communities and occupy ancestral lands. To twist these facts is to embolden evil.”
The Movement for the Emancipation of Nigeria(MEN) demands the “immediate establishment and funding of a Plateau-wide vigilante system under community control and traditional institutions.
“Full implementation of all white papers and commission reports related to the Plateau crisis. The reclamation of all 64 communities reportedly taken over by terrorists, with displaced persons returned under security guarantees.
“Sanctions against individuals and groups issuing inciting statements outside the state, aimed at legitimizing terrorism.”
Dalung reiterated that MEN is watching, assuring that Plateau State will not walk alone and Nigeria must not continue down the path of state-enabled ethnic cleansing while masquerading as democracy.
“Peace is not a gift from government, it is a right of the people. We will speak, we will stand and we will not be silenced. We call on all oppressed Nigerians, regardless of tribe or religion, to rise in defense of truth, justice, and our shared humanity.”
Dalung noted that the recent bursting of an ISWAP cell in Yelwa-Shendam in the southern part of Plateau State by a special military operation where two suspects were said to have posed as tailors in the town is a clear indication that adequate attention must be given to intelligence gathering backed with actionable measures to save the state from total collapse into the hands of terrorists sect in the country.
He said: “Security forces under Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) recently arrested two suspected ISWAP members during a sting operation in Shendam LGA of Plateau. These men, both 25 years old, had disguised themselves as local tailors while secretly working to establish an ISWAP base in the state.
“Preliminary investigations revealed they were acting on directives from an ISWAP commander to set up new terrorist cells in Plateau and neighboring Bauchi State. This confirms that ISWAP, a jihadist group originally centered in the Lake Chad and North-East region, is actively seeking to expand its footprint into the Middle Belt.
“The implications are grave. An area already plagued by banditry and communal strife now faces the added threat of a well-organized Islamist insurgency. Unlike sporadic herder-farmer clashes, ISWAP brings sophisticated terror tactics, ideological extremism, and potential links to international terror networks.
“The mere presence of ISWAP operatives on Plateau soil is enough to unsettle the region. It raises fears that bombings, kidnappings, or coordinated terrorist attack tactics seen in Nigeria’s northeast could occur in Plateau communities that have thus far not experienced such insurgent violence. In short, this intelligence of ISWAP’s presence injects a new, frightening element into Plateau’s security crisis one that could dramatically escalate violence if left unchecked.”