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HomeUncategorizedTension in Plateau over Gunmen’s Occupation of Villages

Tension in Plateau over Gunmen’s Occupation of Villages

Suspected herdmen storm Plateau community, kill seven, burn 23 houses (photos)

Tension has gripped Jos, the Plateau
State capital, following the renewed killing of villagers and the
forcible occupation of their ancestral homes by gunmen whose target is
believed to be the takeover of the state capital, Newsmen investigation
has revealed.

This is coming as the clamour by
different armed gangs for recognition and settlement by the Sokoto State
Government has fuelled fresh banditry in the state.

Following the killing of 29 people in Sokoto and Plateau states by
gunmen, President Muhammadu Buhari, at the weekend, had ordered the
Nigerian Army to assist the police to flush out the bandits from the
forests of the two states.

Stakeholders in the affected communities
around Jos, who spoke to newsmen, expressed concerns about the mission
of the gunmen who have refused to embrace efforts by the government to
restore peace to the state.

They alleged that the attackers, who are
called “unknown gunmen”, are now building new houses, occupying the
villages they attacked and rearing cattle on their farmlands.

THISDAY gathered that the situation is even worse in Barkin-Ladi and Riyom Local

Government Areas where over 30 villages that were previously attacked
have been taken over and occupied by the attackers that now graze on the
lands of the victims.

The leaders of the affected communities
told THISDAY that the ultimate aim of the attackers is to take over the
entire Plateau State, adding that after chasing away and occupying the
villages around Jos, they will finally overrun the state capital.

Lamenting the attacks and occupation of
villages in Riyom Local Government Area, the lawmaker representing the
constituency, Hon. Timothy Dantong, told THISDAY that over 30 villages
that were attacked had been occupied by Fulani herders, adding that they
are now no-go areas for the original owners of the land.

He said: “When they attack, kill and
chase the people away, they take over their homes and farmlands, and the
people cannot go back to their villages, yet they are described as
unknown gunmen.”

He charged the state government to be
more serious in dealing with the crisis, adding that he has proposed a
bill to protect the property of people in internally displaced people
(IDP) camps to the state House of Assembly.

According to him, if passed into law, the original owners of land will still be able to repossess their lands.

Also speaking on the issue, the lawmaker
representing Barkin-Ladi in the state House of Assembly, Mr. Peter
Gyendeng, said Gashish, Ropp and a few other villages were being
occupied by the attackers.

“This is known to everyone, including government.

“In fact, government even promised to
establish a mobile police barracks in Gashish after the people were
attacked and over 200 persons were killed in 2018, but as I speak with
you nothing has been done about it.

“These are the issues that we keep
talking. These attackers called unknown gunmen are now building new
houses and occupying the villages they attacked and chased the people
from, and they rear their cattle on their farmlands,” he added.

He said the military task force had made
effort to send the attackers away and re-settle the people to their
ancestral homes, but that had not yielded much result yet.

Reacting to the killing of over 10
people in Bassa Local Government Area in the past one week, the
President of Irigwe Development Association, Mr. Sunday Abdu, said the
ultimate aim of the attackers was to annihilate his people.

“Truth is, recently the land has not
known peace owing to the wicked activities of herdsmen who have
continued to destroy farmlands in an attempt to weaken the economic life
of our people. More worrisome is the loss of lives to this senseless
campaign of calumny.

“While our people have continued to
remain indoors and law abiding in the wake of the national outcry over
the COVID-19, the assailant Fulani herdsmen have continued each day
within the last two weeks, to visit us with mayhem,” he said.

He said Ancha, Hukke, Gbra-zongu,
Kpenrie, and Nkyiedongwro communities had been under siege in the past
two weeks following sustained attacks by the herders.

He explained that rather than
reinforcing security agents to the area, the military task force that
should do so withdrew its men after two soldiers were killed in one of
the attacks.

“It has been over a week since the
withdrawal of the soldiers and here we are with a resumption of
hostilities on our soil. We are confused and do not know what to make of
this reality. That these atrocities have resumed, is the more reason we
need security presence in our land.

“It must be noted that even in the
North-east, which has been the theatre of war with some losses incurred
by the military, never is the army withdrawn. Why has our case been
different? Are we to think that we are paying the price for a crime that
the Fulani herdsmen committed by killing the two soldiers in question?

“We are deeply concerned about the
obvious silence of the Plateau State government over this resumed
hostilities on our soil. Is the government so concerned about the raging
COVID-19 pandemic that we are almost abandoned to the gruesome
activities of the Fulani marauders? If the government does not rise up
to tackle this challenge, Irigwe land would be wiped off even before the
COVID-19 comes close to the state.

“We want to sincerely appeal to the
military authorities to please, as a matter of concern and urgency,
redeploy personnel to resume security duties in our land. If during
their presence the assailants dared launched attacks on our communities,
what more now that they are withdrawn? We are tempted to feel that this
withdrawal of troops may have given impetus to the rampaging herdsmen
to continue or escalate their campaign of blood-sucking. We therefore
appeal that the authorities to immediately respond to our cry by
returning the personnel,” he stated.

Clamour for Settlement Fuels Fresh Banditry in Sokoto

Meanwhile, the clamour by different
armed gangs for recognition and settlement by the Sokoto State
Government has fuelled fresh banditry in the state.

THISDAY gathered that armed groups who
want to benefit from the state government’s largesse have launched fresh
attacks to attract government’s attention.

The development, it was learnt,
confirmed the fears of security experts who had faulted the amnesty
proposed by the state governor and other North-west governors for
bandits terrorising the region.

Some security experts said the gesture
would cause more harms than good as it would encourage more lazy and
unemployed youths to take to banditry.

Banditry in the region first started in Zamfara and Kaduna States before it spread to Katsina and Sokoto States .

In Sokoto State, the committee set up by
the state government and headed by the Commissioner for Security
Matters, Col. Moyi Garba (rtd), had recommended that repentant bandits
be given cattle as loan and some money to engage in animal husbandry.

The committee also recommended that
schools should be built at the rehabilitation centres set up for the
repentant bandits to enable their children to have access to Western
education.

Following these recommendations, the
state government met with leaders of the bandits and they agreed to drop
their arms and embrace the amnesty offered with its packages.

The gesture yielded results, which led to the release of the captives and the surrender of weapons by the bandits .

But in order to enjoy these benefits
offered the repentant bandits last year, Newsmen gathered that other
armed groups have launched renewed attacks to draw the attention of the
state government.

Investigation revealed that these armed
gangs display arms at various markets of Isa, Sabon Birni , Bale, and
Tangaza unchallenged.

“The renewed attacked is a result of new
group of bandits seeking recognition. It is also as a result of
infiltration of the bandits from Niger, Zamfara to the state,” a top
official of the state government told newsmen at the weekend.

Few days ago, the bandits killed 22 people and injured scores in Gangara village in Sabon Birni LGA of the state.

THISDAY REPORTs

By Seriki Adinoyi in Jos and Onuminya Innocent

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