Plateau: 346 killed in 4 months — Report

From Okwe Obi, Abuja

A report released by the Gideon and Funmi Para-Mallam Foundation, revealed that 346 people have been killed in Plateau State, from April to July this year.

President and Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation, Gideon Para-Mallam, in a statement yesterday, and titled: ‘Mangu Killings: It’s Time for Peace and Calling for an End to the Unjust Killings in Plateau State, Nigeria’, explained that 315 were Christians while 31 were Muslims.

According to him, 54 villages in 7 local government areas namel;Bokkos (16) Mangu (208), Barki Ladi (39), Riyom (34), Jos North (3), Jos South (9), Mikang (5) Bassa (1), were affected.

He added that those displaced 2,081 (widows), 6,066 (Orphans between the
ages of 0-5 years old), while old people account for 1,057.

He disagreed with the Fulani community which had claimed that the attacks in Mangu were part of a crusade to get rid of them from.

He sued for people and said the killings and destruction of property were ungodly and barbaric.

“As a Peace Building Foundation, we believe that peace is possible in Mangu LGA, Plateau State and Nigeria.

“The Federal Government and Plateau State; indeed all States in Nigeria need to work together with unity of purpose, across political party lines to find peace for all the troubled hotspots in the entire country.

“How long must we sit-out these
religiously motivated and criminal killings in Nigeria while the rights of Freedom of Religion and Belief (FoRB) are being trampled upon?

“Focusing on misleading narratives of the violence is itself not only misleading but unhelpful and glaring political correctness and hypocrisy.

“The narrative of reprisal attacks is not only simplistic but it hides the real issues and therefore the unjust killings have lingered on for too long not just in Mangu LGA but in other hotspots in the Middlebelt areas in particular.

“What is happening in Plateau State has impact on Nigeria. What more, what is
happening in Nigeria has global consequences in the medium and long-run. It is time to act and stop localizing Plateau’s killings fields. The time to put an end to violence in Plateau State,” he added.