INSECURITY AND CIRCLE OF VIOLENCE ON THE PLATEAU

Just as Plateau State battles with various attacks on different communities in the state, Stefanos Foundation has last week received report of the killings of four persons. This time, some persons identified as Berom natives were the suspects.

The first victim, Zakariya Aliyu Ardo was said to have been killed on Monday 10//9/2018 and his remains recovered on Wednesday 19/9/2818. The deceased was a Fulani herdsman.

The second victim, Aminu Adam Angara, who was also killed on Sunday, 16/9/2018, his remains was recovered on Monday, 17//9/2018. The deceased was also a Fulani and a seller of cow milk from Sabongida to Bukuru areas.

The third victim, Aisha Musa, a nine months pregnant woman was also killed on Sunday, 16/9/2018 and her remains was recovered on Monday 17/9/2018. Aisha was a cow milk seller in Bukuru.

The fourth victim, Daniel Manga was also killed while riding his motorcycle, popularly known as okada.

In a Facebook post made by one Adamu Muhammad, he stated that, upon receiving news that the victims were missing, the Fulani Youth Leader immediately called upon The Gwomre, “Gyel Village Head” of Jos South LGA, who is also the Ward Head of “Kwata Ward”, the location where the ugly incidence happened.

Mohammed reported that the Gwomre immediately called the Vigilante Commander of Jos South, the Berom Youth Leader of Jos South, the Fulani Youth leader of Jos South, the JNI Director and the DPO of B. Division, Bukuru who commissioned a joint search on the missing persons.

This combine effort and the positive role each person played, led to the discovery of the suspects.

Mohammed said an investigation was carried out by the team and they gathered first hand information from among the good people of Berom, those who are not in support of what has happened. The Berom Youth Leader, The VGN Commander, who is also Berom and the Ward Head of Kwata followed house to house in search of those who were suspected to be responsible for the killings. The team handed the suspects over to the Police under the authority of the Gyel Village Head and the Jos South LGA Chairman, who did not sleep that very day in respect of what happened.

Muhammad, in his Facebook post on a Fulani Rights Group says; “I am a living witness of what the Beroms did, which is worthy of commendation and Allah will surely bless them for their intentions are for peace to re-install at Jos South and Plateau at large.
Now we are waiting to see which measure Government will take to put an end to such.”

While we commend the joint effort in controlling the situation in Gyel, Stefanos Foundation is deeply concerned that uncontrollable killings of the ethnic minority people is now beginning to attract some circle of violence in their region.

May we here urge the Fulani to also emulate this honesty and cooperate with the local authorities in fishing out those militants who have continuously terrorised the ethnic communities.

It would be recalled that on 23/9/2018, we reported the frustration of the ethnic people of Bassa, Riyom and Barkin Ladi LGA of Plateau State. We have also reported laments from Ethnic Communities of Benue, Adamawa and Taraba States over the continued killings in their areas.

It is also a concern that while there appears to have been no hope of reaching those who killed over eleven people in Dura Community, near Rayfield, in Jos South LGA of Plateau State, there have suddenly been a glaring effort of the military in search of the same area for a Military General alleged to have gone missing around Jos.

It is not clear however why such military efficacies have been absent in controlling the killings of the ethnic people and continual grazing over their farms.

Stefanos Foundation is concerned that people have now deserted their homes in Dura in fear of military activities around the area.

The Nigerian military has records of acting with impunity over instances of any wrong done to it. In resent times, soldiers have destroyed houses of innocent Nigerians in Naca community of Benue State and Kadarko Communities of Wase LGA in Plateau State. The institution has also been fined over its vengeful killings of Nigerians in Zaki Biam community of Taraba State and Modakeke Land of Ife East LGA of Osun State among others.

We do hope that the military would act in caution this time as they carry out this search around Dura community. It is also important that they work on winning the trust of Nigerians at this time that they are needed the most.

Stefanos Foundation is also calling on the judiciary to be upright in their administration of justice so that innocent people would not continue to suffer unjustly.