Plateau Civil Society Organizations Forum has expressed concerned over what they described as the security operatives inability to counter the attackers on communities of Bokkos, Barkin Ladi and some parts of Mangu local government areas nor intercepted them despite the early warnings.
In a statement made available to this medium on Wednesday in Jos by Chairman of the forum, Rev. Chris Damcher, alleged that there was an early warning of security threats on social media.
“As it is common with most of the attacks meted on communities, there is most often early warning security alerts circulated on the social media.
“I’m fully convinced that such information usually gets to the security agencies and relevant authorities but so worried and saddened that each time such planned attacks by same so called FULANI MILITIA are circulated, their plans are usually executed to a high percentage unabated” the CSOs alleged.
They noted that there is hardly or never a proactive measures by the security operatives to counter the early warnings circulated nor intercept the attacker in the act.
According to the statement, the early warnings are often not mere social media assertions as most often, so dismissed by those who have the mandate to respond to such information.
“It is no longer news that the attackers are not only after the lives of the community dwellers but truly their ancestral and God given lands to occupy.
From my observation and what is glaringly showing out on the Plateau is the sprouting of strange new Fulani settlements and herders at the footage of the hills all around the Northern and parts of the central zones of Plateau State.
Meanwhile the original owners of the lands have been displaced to the IDPs and other host communities while they are out of touch with economic realities.
The lands are being taken over and there’s no political will of returning the IDPs to their ancestral land, while the land grabbers are moving around freely and molesting citizens..
The Fulani herders that we know and have been in Plateau State for several years do not have the capacity to confront their host communities whom they have co habited with for decades!
It is obvious that there are sponsors of these acts of criminality and inhumane action on the peace loving people of Plateau State.
It is an act of cowardice and outright wickedness to surround and kill innocent and harmless people in their sleep without any provocation.
This action is highly condemnable and call for accelerated actions to end these circles of attacks on innocent citizens.
The State Government, the newly constituted Plateau Elders Forum, all critical stakeholders should please come together to work out ways of ending this insurgency.
It could be recalled that several Communities in Bokkos, Mangu and Barkin Ladi local government areas were attacked and many locals were killed, Houses and property destroyed.
The Police in Plateau State on Tuesday, said findings from the assessment of the ugly incidents in Bokkos LGA revealed that the total number of villages attacked is Twelve (12), Two Hundred and twenty-one (221) houses were set ablaze, Twenty- seven (27) motorcycles were burnt, Eight (8) motor-vehicles were burnt down and over Seventy -nine (79) persons were killed. while Seventeen deaths was recorded in Barkin-ladi LGA.