Some communities in Plateau North Senatorial District, under the
auspices of Berom Educational and Cultural Organization (BECO), on
Thursday raised the alarm that they have lost nearly 300 persons, among
which were mostly women and children within the last four months.
The group said between June and September 2018, the Berom community
had lost nearly the aforementioned number of persons in Barkin-Ladi and
Riyom Local Government Areas of Plateau State.
It therefore, called on the international community to come to their rescue.
BECO through its General Secretary, Da Davou Choji, in Jos decried the continuous killings of their people by killer herdsmen.
Choji said, “The Berom nation has lost confidence in the ability of
government to defend the rights of its citizens in the communities under
attack by Fulani herdsmen.
“So far, between June and September 2018, nearly 300 lives have been
lost, over 38, 000 others displaced and property worth millions of naira
destroyed with no tangible remedial action or programme in place by
government at all levels.
According to him, “The call has become necessary following the
failure of Federal Government, security agencies and the State
Government to uphold the basic tenets of justice.”
The Berom umbrella body also frowned at the sudden transfer of the
then Commander of the Special Military Taskforce code named Operation
Safe Haven (OPSH), Major General Anthony Atolagbe, under very suspicious
circumstances, having arrested 11 suspected killer herdsmen in
connection with the massacre of June 23 and 24, 2018 where over 200
innocent persons were killed.
It noted that the suspects were also transferred illegally from Jos to Abuja under security cover for so-called investigations.