Fulani Militia Overran Four LGAs In Plateau By Opening Grazing Cattle Into The Native’s Irrigation Farms In Middle Belt, Nigeria
Yakubu Busari
A group of Middle Belt Ethnic tribes in Plateau State is protesting the arrival of Fulani militia groups overrunning Bokkos Basso, Barkin Ladi and Mangu LGAs grazing cattle into the natives irrigation farmlands by killings, maiming, raping women and children.
The group called for an end to the lingering cycle of terror attacks, frequent kidnapping, isolated attacks, genocide massacre of innocent natives as well as the renewed cycle of violence in Mangu, Bokkos Bassa, Barkin Ladi, and its environs.
Mr Mabas Ayuba Isa. Youth Leader, Bokkos Community Development Council, BCDC, while Comrade Mahwash Dakol, Chairman Plateau Youth Council, Bokkos LGA, spoke during an interview with this medium .
They said, It has become expedient that the expanded Leadership of the BCDC Youth Council of Bokkos Local Government Chapter, cutting across all the Ethnic Nationalities that constitute the LGA, addresses the general public over the renewed and continuous cycle of senseless killing of innocent, law-abiding and armless natives in their God- given ancestral land by nefarious bandits and terrorist, suspected to be Fulani herdsmen militia.
Following Bokkos that came under siege from bloodbath terrorists, ranging from the attack in Daffo (Especially Josho axis) where nearly 100 people were killed and thousands displaced, to the attack on Kwattas and Ruboi in 2020, to Mabel, Marish, Mangor, Bodel, Ndun, Mushu, Ruwi, Dares, Mbar, Manguna, to mention a few. personalities, for working around the clock to ensure the adequate security of lives and properties in our communities, despite desperate attempts by criminal elements to undermine their genuine commitment:
The group commended, the Executive Chairman, Bokkos Local Government Council, Hon. Amalau Samuel Amalau and His Cabinet. All the Heads of Security Apparatus of the LGA.
The Commissioner of Police and other distinguished members of the Plateau State Security Council.
The GOC, 3rd Armour Division, the Commander Operation Safe Haven and his Sector commanders.
The Executive Governor of Plateau State, His Excellency Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang “The Peoples’ Governor’’ and his cabinet, for proactively intervening at every slight security breach in Bokkos, as well as his deliberate policy on Peace and Security for all law-abiding citizens on the Plateau.
Governor Mutfwang is indeed a passionate and detribalised leader whose political principles are anchored on Equity, Fairness and Justice; and a Legal Luminary who believes in the supremacy of the Rule of Law.
The president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
They also said, it is quite worrisome that despite the tremendous efforts of these aforementioned personalities and the different arms of government in ensuring that the lives and properties of law-abiding citizens are well protected with humongous Tax payers money, which is the primary responsibility of Government as contained in the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended ); Villages in Bokkos and Bassa LGAs respectively are exempted from enjoying their fundamental right to life as enshrined in the constitution.
We can no longer sit by and watch a tactical and deliberate execution of a planned ethnic cleansing, land grabbing, and forceful displacement of the law-abiding natives from their God-given heritage by criminal gangs and terrorists who are suspected to be Fulani herdsmen militia.
Questions Begging for Answers: Why will the terrorists be selective, targeting only the natives of the LGA and the indigenous people of Plateau State?
Why do the attackers usually spare the Fulani and their properties (cattle, houses, and valuables) each time they attack our communities?
Why has it become so difficult for the government and security agencies to leverage on intelligence to forestall these attacks?
What does it take the security agencies to comb the criminal hideouts (bushes and mountains) to identify, apprehend, disarm and prosecute these terrorists who attack our innocent and law-abiding citizens, killing them in cold blood and destroying their farms and livelihood?
Why has the long arm of the law not caught up with them over the years?
When the villagers eventually run to the IDP camps; The Fulani militia appropriate the deserted communities as a free grazing area for their cattle.
To make matters worse, they would usually graze their cattle on the crops of the natives indiscriminately and unchallenged by the security.
Accused herders of grazing cattle into natives irrigation farms of the natives. It is in view of the above pertinent questions seeking convincing explanations that the Youth categorically states, without fear or intimidation, that some Fulani herdsmen militia are responsible for these attacks in Bokkos and some affected parts of the Plateau State.
A Call for the Replacement of our Paramount Ruler When the shepherd is no more, the sheep scatters. The security situation of Bokkos LGA worsened following the gruesome murder of our paramount ruler, His Royal Highness, Late Saf. Laazarus A. Agai, Chairman of Bokkos Traditional Council and a ranking First Class Chief in the State.
Since his demise,
A particular case in point was the Christmas Eve massacre of 2023.This is aside the numerous cases of Isolated killings, armed robbery and kidnapping, where our people have lost millions of naira in the payment of ransom, in some cases, only to have their loved ones killed after the ransom has been paid.
In all of these, the involvement of Fulani herdsmen militia is highly culpable. Our land has become so porous, and without a paramount leader who will show the direction and chart the course for all the communities in the LGA to follow.
