PLATEAU State has been under siege by terrorists since the beginning of the current democratic dispensation.
In many instances, no fewer than 100 people were killed in a single midnight raid. In such a lone attack, several houses were burnt and farm lands destroyed, leaving the people improvised and their ancestral lands occupied by their assailants. From all indications, approaches adopted by the successive administrations in the state to stop the barbaric acts have not yielded results.
The raid of Mangu Local Government Area, where the new state governor, Caleb Mutfwang, hails from, remains one of the worst attacks in the history of the state. No fewer than 200 people, mostly children and women, were cut down in their prime, and over 20,000 inhabitants of about 10 communities are presently languishing in various Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, churches and other public places.
After the attack, several other places in the northern part of the state have been invaded with people equally killed and displaced.
Rural communities, especially in the northern and central senatorial districts of the state, whose inhabitants are predominantly farmers, have mostly been the targets of the terrorists. The farmers there have abandoned their farms for fear of being killed.
All these have led to a projection in certain quarters that there may be food shortage this season as a result of the persistent attacks on agrarian communities and villages in the state.
There are also fears that the number of out-of-school children may increase because of the attacks. It was learnt that a number of students have abandoned the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) as a result of terrorist attacks on the affected communities.
The President, Beron Youth Moulders Association (BYM), Solomon Dalyop, declared that in Plateau North alone, no fewer than 120 communities and villages are presently being occupied by terrorists. He stressed that with the recent attack in Mangu Local Government, the numbers have increased.
In his inaugural speech, Governor Mutfwang expressed determination to face the state’s security challenges head-on. He lamented that much blood has been spilled on the Plateau for more than two decades and this had affected the pace of development.
He said: “The genocidal attacks of the last couple of years suffered by many of our communities across the whole state have justifiably left deep wounds and trauma on several widows, orphans, relatives and friends. This has in turn bred hate, mutual suspicion, misplaced anger toward innocent passersby, and so-called reprisal attacks.
“Unfortunately, this has opened the door for those who dislike our unity and prosperity to label us as hateful and unaccommodating when indeed our people are the victims. The time has come, and the time is now, when we must say enough is enough. We must break this vicious circle of hate and attacks and refuse to allow people to brand us negatively. That is not who we are.
“I am bold enough to say that no other community of people is as accommodating and welcoming as the people of Plateau. All we ask is that those who live within the borders of Plateau agree to live with us in peace and with the utmost respect for our values and traditions. Like we sang during the campaign.
“However, we know that there are persons who do not seek the welfare of Plateau. They preach and fan the embers of hatred. They stood by, unconcerned, when our people were murdered in cold blood. They even callously labelled such genocide ‘farmers and herders clash’, to the chagrin of the whole world.
“In the spirit of the new Plateau, we shall give them an opportunity to repent and redeem themselves. If they fail, God will give us the wisdom to isolate them and make them unworthy of recognition on the new Plateau we have embarked on building.”
However, the governor on Thursday visited some of the affected communities and IDP camps in Riyom and Mangu local government areas. It was a tale of agony and frustration by the displaced persons, most of whose relations have been brutally killed and houses burnt or presently occupied by the terrorists.
An aged farmer, Ibrahim Dalyop, in Rim, where some of those displaced are camped, expressed delight at the governor’s visit, saying that the terrorists were still on the prowl in Riyom Local Government despite the presence of security operatives.
Also, a widow who gave her name simply as Thabita and who lost two children during an invasion of her village, said presently, she had no place to go and no one to turn to for help. Tabitha called on the government to come to their aid and resettle them.
Another farmer, Alfred Dung, whose community under Riyom Local Government Area was sacked and claimed by terrorists, said despite repeated pleas and petitions to the authorities, there was no attempt by the security agencies to flush out the criminal elements.
“As I talk to you, they are there living in our houses. The killings we are experiencing in the state are all about land grabbing through forceful ejection. We have petitioned the police and Operations Safe Haven without any positive response from them,” he said.
Governor Mutfwang told the displaced persons that security of the state would be given adequate attention, adding that a committee headed by his deputy, Ngo Josephine Piyo, has been raised to ameliorate the plight of the IDPs.
The governor, who frowned on land grabbing by terrorists, said the existing anti-land grabbing law in the state would be reviewed and the anti-land grabbing task force fortified to be more efficient. He emphasised that justice must prevail in every situation of life.
Governor Muftwang equally visited Mangu Local Government Area where he held a meeting with the stakeholders before proceeding to Pilot Primary School where people displaced by the recent killings in the council area are kept.
One of the survivors of the attack in Fungzai, John Jonathan, said some of his family members were killed and the education of his children has been disrupted. He stated that his son who was supposed to be writing the ongoing WASSCE has missed some of the papers.
Watchers of trends in the state are of the opinion that the governor needs to be practical in arresting the security situation.
Some stakeholders also hold that the state government cannot address the situation successfully without support from the Federal Government. Some stakeholders who spoke with Saturday Tribune averred that inasmuch as the governors remain the chief security officers of their states, the insecurity ravaging parts of the country will remain.
A public affairs commentator, Dr Ibrahim Abdullahi, accused security agencies of complicity, saying that in many instances, those saddled with the security lives and property are found wanting in the course of the duty.
He charged the Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government to show more commitment to the fight against insecurity and ensure that the bad eggs within the system are flushed out. According to him, the service chiefs should be replaced to pave the way for zealous military officers to fight the insecurity without prejudice.
Dr Abdullahi implored the governor of the state to give the state’s security outfit, Operation Rainbow, the needed attention, urging him to take a cue from South/West states which came up with Amotekun.
From all indications, local hunters, vigilantes and other neighbourhood security outfits have been playing their roles to ward off attacks on communities. There have been instances where these local security men have squared up to invading terrorists.
Another commentator, Bernard Danjuma, said that in spite of lack of adequate equipment to confront the terrorists, the hunters and vigilantes have proven capable if properly armed. He advised the new administration in the state to accord them recognition.
According to Danjuma, Nigeria, more than ever before, needs state police and community policing to curb insecurity.
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