…Killing is a retaliation, says MACBAN …Lalong
Reassures people of security
…UNIJOS suspends lectures
The Senator, representing Plateau North, where the
recent attacks and killings of over 200 Berom ethnic group were perpetrated by
suspected Fulani militias, Jonah David Jang, on Monday described the killings as heinous
crime against his people, genocide, and an attempt to forcefully take over and
occupy the ancestral land of the Berom nation.
Jang’s position was further strengthened by the
Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), which also described it as a deliberate
attempt to conquer and occupy the land of the people’s ancestral heritage.
Berom Educational and Cultural Organisation (BECO)
also shared the same view, noting that it had addressed the media over three
different occasions where it cried out to the state and federal governments
that the Fulani have driven out the Beroms from over 10 of their villages and
farms, and are now forcefully occupying them, but nothing has been done.
But the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association
of Nigeria (MACBAN) differed in its position as it justified the killings as an
act of revenge following an earlier attack on its cattle.
In a statement signed by his media officer, Mr.
Clinton Garuba, the Senator Jang said he was pained by the gruesome killings of
“over 200 people in Gashish District, Razat, Ruku Nyarr, and Gana-Ropp in
Barkin-Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State by Fulani herdsmen.”
Jang said: “These continuous killings are fast
becoming a coordinated attempt at genocide aimed at annihilating our people and
stealing our God-given heritage (land). As one who is particular about the
welfare and well-being of the people, the senator's heart is with the families
of all those who have been deliberately and mercilessly separated from their
loved ones for eternity.
“At a time the Government of Plateau State is boasting
of creating an island of peace, it is a wonder where that island of peace is
located. Surely, our towns and villages around the state where people are
attacked and killed in their sleep, on their farms and on rural roads almost on
a daily basis are not part of that island. It is quite unfortunate that despite
all the valuable lives we continue to lose, the state government led by
Governor Simon Lalong is still living in denial. How many Plateau lives must be
violently ended before the governor realises that the peace he claimed to have
brought on the Plateau is imaginary?”
On the role of the Armed Forces, Jang observes that
their mode of operation and response to the attacks is worrisome and capable of
causing massive apathy and loss of confidence on the part of citizens.
“They continue to attract controversies and
accusations of complicity as clearly noted by notable statesmen like General
T.Y Danjuma (rtd). At this juncture, Danjuma's call for self defence may become
the only option considering the situation in Barkin-Ladi where people were left
at the mercy of killer herdsmen who had the time and space to maim, kill, and
destroy to their satisfaction without any notable challenge by the military
formation in the state,” Jang added.
He urged Lalong to display an uncommon will to
stand with Plateau people for the fortification of the state from external
aggression and attacks.
“Lalong must also stop playing politics with the
security situation of the state, as there is no gain in proclaiming a peace
that only exists in dreamland while people are being killed on the Plateau. Accordingly,
Lalong should also consider reviving Operation Rainbow by funding and equipping
it for intelligence gathering and swift response to incessant attacks on the state,”
he added.
Meanwhile, CAN in a statement by its state
Chairman, Dr. Soja Bewarang, also said: “The killings are becoming no longer
herders and farmers clashes again, but deliberate attempt to conquer and occupy
the land of the people’s ancestral heritage.”
Bewarang added: “Barkin Ladi is under siege with
more than 200 innocent precious human lives killed and countless driven out in
the rains and left without shelters. CAN is also saddened by the news of attack
on CAPRO School of Missions (SOM) in Gana-Ropp by the militias.
“CAN condemns these unholy act of systematic
genocide and sees it as a deliberate attempt to destroy the cultural heritage
of the Plateau people in particular the most affected areas. CAN calls on the government
to use its might to bring these killings to a stop.”
While calling on the international community to
come to the aid of the Plateau people as the security agency seems to be
incapable of contending with the challenges, CAN added that “the soil of
Plateau smells with rotten dead bodies as a result of silent killings, as many
people are missing.”
BECO Publicity Secretary, Gordons, lamented that
the Berom had held several press conferences where it alerted the federal and
state governments that their villages and farms are being forcefully occupied
by the Fulani, having killed and chased away the people, who are now refugees
in the state, “but nothing has been done by both the state and federal
governments to address the situation.”
He reiterated that “Buhari has the power to stop
the killings by his kinsmen, if he is willing to do so.”
Also, former Governor of the state, Fidelis Tapgun,
has condemned the massive killings, calling for caution and restraint.
He expressed surprise at the number of deaths and
level of carnage in the recent killing of innocent citizen by people suspected
to be Fulani herdsmen.
Tapgun, in a statement he personally signed,
described the recurring killing in Plateau state as unacceptable, especially as
some semblance of peace has been restored in the state.
Meanwhile, in a state broadcast, Governor Lalong
expressed deep condolences with the families that lost their loved ones. He
described the resurgence of violence in the state as “a stark reminder of the
magnitude of peace and security challenges steering us in the face.”
He said his government was conscious of its
responsibilities of protecting lives and property, and has always strived to
meet them “regardless of the threat we face today, we remain resolute in our
commitment to arrest the vicious circle of violence, and lay sustainable
foundation for peace.”
Meanwhile, the Chairman of MACBAN, Danladi Ciroma, has
condemned the attacks, however, said in a statement that the attacks were
“retaliatory.”
According to him, “These attacks are retaliatory.
As much as I don’t support the killing of human being, the truth must be told
that those who carried out the attacks must be on a revenge mission.
“Fulani herdsmen have lost about 300 cows in the
last few weeks; 94 cows were rustled by armed Berom youths in Fan village,
another 36 cows were killed by Berom youths. In addition to that, 174 cattle
were rustled.”
Following the killings, the authorities of the
University of Jos have cautioned their students and staff to be watchful. They
have also temporarily suspended lectures from June 25 to 28 to observe the
situation of security in Jos metropolis that is now very tensed.
A statement by the Principal Assistant Registrar of Information
and Publications, Abdullahi Abdullahi, called particularly on students to avoid
conflict prone and insecurity areas.
Meanwhile, a violent protest which occurred at Mararaban
Jama’a and at Zawan junction last Sunday afternoon in Jos South Local
Government Area, before the imposition of the dusk-to-dawn curfew, allegedly
claimed nine lives.
Security vans were seen patrolling some streets of Jos,
while Air Force helicopters hovers over the city in surveillance.
Meanwhile, current and former Vice Presidents of Nigeria,
Prof Yemi Osinbajo and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, are heading to Jos to assess the
situation and meet with stakeholders.
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