Former governor of Plateau State, Senator Jonah Jang, will on Tuesday declare his interest in running for the presidency in Jos.
Jang, representing Plateau North in the National Assembly, will lead his supporters to the secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party to formally intimate them of his interest to join the 2019 presidential race.
No fewer than 15 politicians have signified their intention to contest the presidency of Nigeria in 2019 on the platform of PDP.
Recall that Justice Daniel Longji of Plateau State High Court on May 24 granted bail to Jang and a former cashier in the office of the Secretary to Plateau State Government, Yusuf Gyang Pam.
The accused persons were arraigned before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and slammed with 12 counts bordering on alleged misuse of some special funds released to Plateau state by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The offences were said to have been perpetrated few months to the end of Jang’s tenure as governor in 2015.
Jang had repeatedly linked his ordeals to his presidential ambition, insisting that they were politically motivated.
Already, the Plateau PDP secretariat is wearing a new look ahead of Jang’s declaration today.
A notice by the immediate-past Secretary to the State Government during the administration of Jang and now Director-General of his Presidential Campaign Committee, Prof. Shedrack Best said the declaration event will start at 12 noon.
He said, “This is to notify party faithful and well-wishers that the date for submission of a letter of intent to the party (PDP) for the Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by Distinguished Senator Jonah Jang is now Tuesday (today) August 28 2018 at 12 noon. The venue is the PDP State Secretariat opposite NTA Jos. All are invited to grace the occasion.”
A senior lecturer at the Department of Religious Studies, University of Jos, Professor Umar Habila Dadem Danfulani has explained true facts behind the recent massacres in Plateau State.
The don cautioned reporters and media houses to stop attributing the killings to mere clashes between farmers and herdsmen.
Danfulani, himself a native of the troubled Plateau State said the killings were basic ethnic cleansing.
Fielding questions after delivering a keynote address, “African Pentecostalism: Probity and Accountability,” at the just concluded International Conference on African Pentecostalism, ICAP, the cleric with the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) is of the opinion that Christians in the southern part of the country do not understand what is happening in the North.
Asked to give his perspective to the much talked about fear of Islamisation, the Plateau-born Prof. Danfulani said: “When you are in the south, I don’t think you understand the problem that people are facing in the Middle Belt of Nigeria. I don’t think it’s so much a problem of islamisation than it is of ethnic cleansing.
“It is not herdsmen-farmers clash! Lots of journalists continue to publish rubbish that what is happening in the North is a clash between farmers and herdsmen. That is not true.
“Let me give you a scenario; you have a man who has some cows and he’s moving around with AK47—-because I am in a crisis area, I know a bullet costs N500. To buy an AK47, you need between three and four million naira. So how many cows will I sell to be able to buy an AK47 riffle together with ammunitions? Does it make sense?” he asked.
Continuing, he said: “Economically it will be penny wise pound foolish. So then what actually is happening? In Jos, we have been in this crisis since 2001, some people forget, they think that this is something new. No! It’s a continuation of that. Yoruba Muslims in the North, ethnic Muslims in the North, have they been spared because they are Muslims?
“If you’ve answered this question, you will now know where the problem is coming from. It’s the problem of ethnic cleansing. It’s not just the agenda of Usman Dan Fodio spirit of Islam, it’s the agenda to grab the land and to push the indigenes that are seen as infidels away from the ancestral land and to take over.
“I’m telling you it has already been happening in Jos for a very long time. From the period between Gov. Joshua Dariye and Gov. Jonah Jang, Fulani herdsmen have settled in four local governments and all these local governments are bounded together. They have sent out the indigenes from that area since 1999 till date.
“So the last programme that happened in Barkin Ladi and Mangu local governments was just an attempt to extend their frontiers. They have said it is possible because they did it there and nobody said anything.
“You can see that all the emirs from the North are quiet, which means they are in support of what is happening. If not so, at least one of them would have spoken. So it is a programme! It is an ethnic cleansing and it is unacceptable because the only way that the indigenes can respond is to organise themselves and return fire for fire because the government is already implicated.
Asked to assess the Federal Government’s involvement in all the brouhaha, the COCIN cleric said: “If a whole retired Lieutenant General from the Nigerian army and a man who was known to be involved in so many military coups in Nigeria, General Theophillus Danjuma, can come out and say very clearly that you are on your own then you know really you are on your own.
“Military personnel were seen being dropped from helicopters. No Fulani is fighting the people; the people are fighting with the federal forces of Nigeria—-mercenaries and some people that have been carefully picked.
“We have been living with it and we know exactly what is happening. No Fulani is fighting us. The Fulanis are using the federal might to fight us. That is the truth. Even the Head of State knows it,” Danfulani said matter of factly, pointing out that most of Service chiefs have blood on their hands.
Nevertheless, the university don believes that Christianity has always blossomed more where there’s persecution, pointing out that the people are usually empowered in such a way that Christianity will actually ride on the wings of persecution. ”That is our history.
“Before Constantine, Christians were being butchered and killed; Christian corpses were being used as torches in the night to light the streets. It was that bad. But at the end of the day, there was respite. Before Constantine died, he allowed Christianity to flourish and his children made it an official religion. Remember China, during the period of Mao Tse Tung,” he consoling Christians.
Recall that the TNG recently published an exclusive series on the crisis that claimed well over 200 lives and turned thousands homeless.
*We know the killers say victims, military sources
*Fulani herdsmen attacked us a few days after peace talks – Gashish District Head
*Victims unsure government can give them justice
Over 200 killed! The Berom community in Plateau State are still counting their losses in the mayhem that befell them on Friday, June 23, 2018.
As horrendous as the last attack was, it wasn’t the first time Plateau State was witnessing this kind of killings – killer Fulani herdsmen and the people of Berom had been locked in crisis for over two decades.
According to reports, the tussle has been over the ownership of Jos and claims to ‘indigene’ status between the native tribes and nomadic Fulani herdsmen.
The Berom nation, one of the largest tribes in Plateau, have never hidden their displeasure with the Fulanis who they see as intruders and land grabbers.
The Fulani, on the other hand, are almost always at war with the Berom people on the grounds that they rustle their cows and hinder the spread of their trade.
However, the silence and little attention given to the issue by the government with regards to ensuring justice is what the victims see as alarming.
While news reports and victims’ testimonies from both sides have confirmed that the perpetrators of the heinous attack are enemies living within, the federal government has described the killers as aliens. As such, while victims continue to count their losses and live in agony, their attackers roam free and the battle for supremacy goes on unend.
TheNewsGuru.com’s correspondent visited some of the ‘no-go areas’ in the troubled Plateau to unravel the mystery surrounding the faceless stealing of cows and beam a searchlight on the unknown killer herdsmen who reportedly snuff out life of innocent souls.
*Fulani herdsmen attacked us a few days after peace talks – Gashish District Head
Burnt car in Gashish disrtrict, Barkin Ladi
Investigations by TNG revealed that there had been peace talks between the warring Berom nation and Fulani herdsmen before the June 23rd massacre.
The Gashish District Head, Chief Mark Bwodeh, in an exclusive interview with TNG in Plateau, confirmed that both parties met on Wednesday, June 20th while the attack was launched on Saturday, June 23rd.
Bwodeh explained that efforts of the Berom nation at achieving peace with the Fulani herdsmen had always met a brick wall.
The district head also debunked allegations of cattle rustling among subjects in his district.
One of the building torched during the crisis.
Bwodeh said, “As far as we are concerned, allegations of cattle rustling are baseless. We have never stolen anything from them (the Fulanis) to provoke their heinous attacks on us.
“However, information at our disposal has it that Fulani herdsmen invaded Fan District (another district in Barkin Ladi), entered people’s farms and grazed in their farmlands, and when these people challenged them, they ran away, leaving their cows behind.
“The Fan indigenes later slaughtered those cows. It was in the process of coming to retrieve them that they (the Fulanis) discovered they had all been slaughtered. However, rather than revenge there in Fan, the Fulani Herdsmen headed straight to Gashish to murder our people who are innocent of the rustlings.”
In the wake of the violence, the Gashish head confirmed taking some deliberate reconciliatory steps to foster peace.
“I personally went to Fan District to ask them. They said they did not steal any cow and the Fan people are Beroms; they are our brothers,” Bwodeh added.
Who are the cattle rustlers?
TNG’s interaction with the Gashish district head, established that the big question in the Plateau debacle is about who the cattle rustlers are?
The ‘cattle rustlers’ are believed to be benefitting from the age-long battle between the Berom and Fulanis. And while cattle rustling remains the trigger for the herdsmen’s heinous acts, both Gashish and Fan residents have continued to deny allegations of being labelled cattle rustlers by the herders.
However, findings by our correspondent during and after his return from the Plateau trip revealed that most incidents of the cattle rustling happened in the Barkin Ladi Local Council, which is largely populated by the Berom.
On August 8, 2018, about 82 cows went missing after 109 were rustled around Kasa, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State where two Fulani travellers were killed on August 5.
Reacting to the said cow rustling incident, Barkin Ladi Secretary of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association in Nigeria (MACBAN), Abubakar Gambo, who had earlier declined speaking with TheNewsGuru on the crisis, told newsmen that 27 of the 109 cattle were recovered by men of Operation Safe Haven who engaged the criminals in a shoot-out.
Gambo said the criminals were Berom youths who were armed with guns. He alleged that they harassed the cattle, sending them into different directions before leading them to Fan district of Barkin Ladi.
His words: “The young men tending to the cattle ran away when they heard the gunshots and saw the rustlers coming. They had to escape otherwise they would be killed, but they saw the youths, and they are Berom youths guiding the cattle into Fan district. When they contacted us, we immediately notified the sector 7 commander who sent his men but because they were few, they were only able to engage one group and recovered 27 while the others were moved into Fan.”
Operation Safe Haven Media and Information Officer, Major Adam Umar, confirmed the incident, but said men of the taskforce had recovered and handed over 27 to MACBAN leadership in the area.
He said although a group of the criminals had engaged security men, they had been forced to abandon 27 of the cattle and flee due to superior fire power of the taskforce.
“We are working with other security agencies as well as community and youth leaders to track the remaining cattle,” he said.
Cattle rustling at Fan, killings in Gashish
The embittered and visibly angry district head said the Fulani herdsmen admitted that their cattle were rustled at Fan but carried out their massive reprisal killings in Gashish despite their friendliness with them (the Fulanis).
Mark said the Fulanis did not deny responsibility for the killings in Gashish community. According to him, their sole aim of killing was to avenge the loss of their cows with as many human lives as possible.
“And when we sat with the Fulanis in Gashish District where the FOB (Forward Operational Base) Headquarters is, we asked them what was responsible for the killings in Gashish and they responded that it was because of what was happening in Fan, that they (Fan residents) stole their cows.
The Fulani herdsmen were people living with us before they started the gruesome attacks on innocent lives in Gashish,” Mark further explained.
According to the district leader, the peace talks earlier held with the Fulani herdsmen did not deter them from carrying out the massacres on Gashish soil whereas the rustling actually took place in Fan.
Mark recalled, “During the meeting we asked them, why didn’t they go to Fan where their cows were rustled. But they had no explanation. In that singular attack, about eleven villages were burnt and destroyed, with over 200 people killed.
In my village alone (Kashi), they killed 13. In Gindi Akwati (Ex-land), they killed 36. In Nghar village, they killed almost 84. We did a mass burial there. In Ruku, they killed 27. We also did a mass burial there.
As I speak, some corpses are yet to be found. That is for you to know the extent of the killings. After the killings, we wanted to take the bodies to town for people to see but security agencies at the scene did not grant us that; they restricted us from showing it to the world. And they want us to just bury them like that, so the world will never know that this is what is happening.”
*Both Berom, Fulani herdsmen culpable
An empty military checkpoint in Gashish district
A top military source in Plateau, who spoke to TheNewsGuru under the condition of anonymity on the controversy surrounding the killings, said the narrative mostly concealed from the public is that of cattle rustling.
He said, “Let me tell you the truth, you can’t understand this crisis if you don’t ask who the cattle rustlers are. Ignore all you hear from the Berom people. They will tell you Fulani herdsmen attacked them for no reason; that is not true.
“The truth is, most of the cattle rustlers are Berom. We get complaints from the herders association on their (cattle rustlers) activities. Sometimes, we wade in to help the Fulanis recover some of their stolen cows. There are even instances when a herder is killed in the course of a cattle rustler trying to steal from him (herder).”
The source cited that though the people of Gashish may have no grudge with the Fulani herdsmen, they might just be targeted by the rampaging herdsmen because the place is one of the areas in Plateau highly dominated by Berom people.
“The Fulanis that I know are well organised and tactical in their killings; they prefer to carry out their attack in areas where the impact will be mostly felt. It is just unfortunate that Gashish happened to be the place.”
Speaking on the case of the killer herdsmen, our source also admitted that most of the perpetrators were known but said the military had been cautioned not to be too hostile as that will further heighten the tension in the state.
Asked if the killer herdsmen were aliens, he replied, “We know some of them, in fact we have among them those who act as our informants. But our role here is to ensure peace and not to heighten the tension.
“We hold several peace meetings with the two parties, it is only unfortunate that whenever the crisis start, both the Berom people and Fulani herdsmen act out of control.”
Government promises intervention
The governor of the state, Simon Lalong in a state broadcast, shortly after the attacks, vowed to ensure that the perpetrators were arrested and made to face the wrath of the law.
In his words: “It is with deep sense of sorrow that I address you today, following the pockets of violent attacks on some communities in the state.”
According to the governor, “the unfortunate incident has led to loss of lives and properties. The resurgence of violence in Plateau is reprehensible. Yet, this is a stark reminder of the magnitude of peace and security challenges staring at us in the face.
“On behalf of the government of the state therefore, I commiserate with the families of those affected and pray that God, in his infinite mercies, will grant them eternal rest,” Lalong said in an emotion laden voice.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on an assessment visit to the state, said that those found culpable in the killings will be arrested and prosecuted. He had led the federal government delegation to ascertain the security situation after the gruesome murder of over 200 natives.
Osinbajo met with leaders and stakeholders in the State. The VP said he was directed by President Muhammadu Buhari to come to the state and see what the federal government could do to stop the killings. “It is disturbing that Plateau is in the news again for killings. President Buhari has ordered that those found culpable should be arrested and prosecuted. This is condemnable and the government would ensure that this is not allowed to happen again”, he declared.
President Buhari also visited the state to commiserate with the people. Speaking at an interactive session with stakeholders, Buhari urged traditional and community leaders to complement government efforts by persuading their constituencies to tolerate one another for peace and unity in the country. The president vowed not to relent in his responsibility to protect the lives and properties of every Nigerian, noting that he would not run away from it.
He said, ‘‘I will continue to pressurise members of the law enforcement agencies. About eight days ago, we had five hours of security meeting of the service chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police. What happened here in Jos is very bad. The question of leadership, from your household to whatever you are, is justice. The bottom line is justice. That is why wherever I go, I always appeal to the leadership of the communities and the law enforcement agencies to have control of their constituencies.”
June 23, 2018, will remain a dreadful day to the people of Plateau State. It was the day gunmen, suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, invaded Gashish district communities, dominated by the Berom people, and killed over 200 persons, burnt houses and forced their inhabitants to take shelter at Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP) camps.
In the wake of the killings, Gashish district in Barkin-Ladi Local Government Area, where the highest number of deaths was recorded, has now become a ghost town occupied by cows and herders.
The Protocol Officer (PRO) of the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN), Regional Church Council, RCC, Gashish, Rev. Dyelman Davwar, inside his burnt apartment in the church premises.
Reminiscing on how the killings started, The Protocol Officer (PRO) of the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN),Regional Church Council, RCC, Rev. Dyelman Davwar, said Fulani militia, armed with sophisticated weapons and machetes, launched attack in Nghar village while women, children, and the aged were asleep.
Speaking with bitterness, he said the attack started in the afternoon of the previous day at about 3 pm, when mourners returning from the burial of a 90-year-old man who attended their church were ambushed and massacred by the Fulani militia.
Afterwards, the murderous gunmen, according to Davwar, moved into villages and began to set homes ablaze. He recalled that as some of the people rushed out in a bid to escape, they were mercilessly shot dead or cut down with machetes.
A burnt vehicle …
Some reports had indicated that the attacks were likely reprisals for cows allegedly stolen by youths from the Berom community in the previous three weeks.
Following the attacks, on Sunday, June 24, angry Berom youths erected barricades on the Jos-Abuja highway and attacked motorists who they believed to be Fulani or Muslims.
In Kakuruk community, one of the affected areas, the COCIN church in Gashish was one of the buildings torched by the assailants. However, in spite of their agony and losses, worshippers of the COCIN continue to meet for fellowship.
On the day TheNewsGuru.com’s correspondent visited the remains of the burnt place of worship, the ceilings were gone and one could see the heavens through the destroyed rooftop. 15 worshippers, undeterred by the destruction and the possibility of another attack, were in attendance.
Their countenances depicted that they were mourning, yet they sang soulfully and danced amid rows of burnt wooden chairs. The crashing noise of their feet on the debris, accompanied by the claps of the hands, provided a sweet rhythm, as all music instruments had also been burnt. Afterwards, the congregants listened to a moving sermon from Rev. Danjuma Bwede.
Pastors on the run, economic activities paralysed – Rev. Bwede
Inside the the burnt apartment of Rev. Stephen Danjuma Bwede, Chairman RCC Gashish, COCIN
At the end of the church service on Sunday, July 29, Rev. Stephen Danjuma Bwede, Chairman RCC Gashish, COCIN, lamented that so many clergies in the Gashish district were now on the run.
He said the deadly attack had reduced the number of persons who attended church services and paralysed economic activities in the community.
Bwede recalled, “We lost about four Churches; we also lost one clergyman here in RCC (name not mentioned). Until his death, he was our secretary here in RCC Gashish.
“We have some pastors who are not living here; they have already relocated to some places like Hepang and Jos. I also no longer have a home here because my house was burnt down. Even my Reverend does not stay here.”
Remains of the burnt Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) church RCC, Gashish
The chairman lamented, “In fact, we live from hand to mouth because we don’t have any sufficient economic cum social activities here. Our farms and houses have been destroyed.
“Government has promised that a police barrack will be established here. We want government to take proactive measures to fulfill that promise”
Bwede appealed to the government to find measures to quickly resettle the victims, stressing that people were not well cared for at the IDP camps.
Killings politically motivated, targeted at Christian community – Davwar
Rev. Dyelman Davwar, who narrated the ordeal faced by victims on the deadly night, however, said the killings were politically motivated.
Asked why he described the invasion as a religious attack, he replied, “I said the attack also has religious undertone because any time they operated, they never spared churches and their pastorium; they are almost the first target. They killed our pastors who are not even indigenes of Gashish.”
Davwar also alleged that the government at the centre was doing everything to reduce Christian population in order to have more of Muslims, whom they perceive will give them the desired votes come the 2019 general elections.
Davwar said, “Many Christians here in Plateau see the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), as a pro-Islamic party because President Muhammadu Buhari is a Muslim and security operatives under his administration have not been fair to us. They have equally failed us and we see it as deliberate because they have an agenda that is best known to them.”
Davwar thanked God for the survivors. He praised security operatives who conveyed some of the affected families to the IDP camp in Hepang, Barkin Ladi and the Geoscience camp in Anguldi, Jos South, among others. He appealed to the government to ensure that they bring them back to their homes in the villages.
Speaking for the federal government, Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo who visited Plateau state few days after the incident disproved the assertion that the killing was politically motivated.
Osinbajo while briefing journalists following a meeting with the warring communities in the state said the crisis is historical.
His words; “A lot of the crises are not a year old or two years old. Many of these crises are almost historical in terms of the number of years that they have continued to manifest themselves. Some have been 10 years ago, some even much earlier.
“It doesn’t matter whether these killings are by herdsmen or villagers or whether it is villagers who in one way or the other have killed others. It is important that we condemn these killings”.
The Vice President, however, assured victims of the unrest that the perpetrators will not go unpunished.
He added, “I think it’s important that there is justice. Those who have been killed cannot just be killed and we allow that to just go by. It’s not acceptable at all. It is our duty to ensure that these individuals are prosecuted and I want to assure you that we will do so. We will make sure that those who have been arrested are duly prosecuted and that others who are engaged in this heinous conduct are also arrested and prosecuted”.
Recall Saturday, June, 23; 2018; 15 Berom communities came under heavy attack by suspected killer herdsmen, leaving on its trail over 200 deaths and a colossal humanitarian and environmental crisis.
In fact, a front line online news site had to sack one of its staffers over a false story credited to Miyetti Allah on the mayhem in Plateau.
Amid the several misleading reports on the mass murder, which further heightened the tension in the country, Plateau State Governor, Solomon Lalong also imposed a dusk to dawn curfew in the affected local government council to avert further bloodshed while the federal government had to scale up military presence in the “war zone”.
Stories that came from the area were scaring. For one, the zone had become highly militarised and at the same time deserted by the inhabitants who could not be sure what next would happen. Fear was visible.
Despite the precarious situation, TheNewsGuru’s youthful Adebayo Animasaun, would not be deterred by the several gory tales from ‘Gashish’. Armed with a good knowledge of the terrain, having had an NYSC tenure there, he left his comfort zone in Lagos for the troubled Plateau, with the mission to thoroughly investigate some of the reports on the gruesome killings, especially as regards thoughts of victims; gathering precise visual footage of the incident; evaluating the overall impact the mayhem had on the people and also reflect on the steps taken by the state government in managing the crisis. And ye, tell how the legendary temperate Plateau has become volatile.
After spending seven days [23rd-30th July, 2018] as an undercover reporter in one of the deadliest zones, Gashish District in Barkin-Ladi Local Government Area, Animasaun was able to chronicle the footprints of untold tales of the bloodbath in Plateau. It was in Gashish, that the highest death record was taken during the herdsmen attack on the 23rd and 24th of June, 2018.
During his stay, he found and interacted with the victims to assess their loss; spent hours in different Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs camps, to evaluate government’s intervention and also visited some of the perilous villages – burnt buildings of what used to be homes to many affected families. He also engaged some of the clergymen in the community, who revealed to TNG that the economic activities have been paralysed.
What TheNewsGuru, TNG, has packaged here is a compendium for the government, NGOs, other international organisations; aid workers and the globally concerned audience on the killings and crisis in Plateau.
The reports will be published on TNG website, www.thenewsguru.ng in five series between Sunday, 13th through Friday 15th, 2018.
Plateau Chief Judge, Justice Yakubu Dakwak, has ordered the release of 13 inmates serving their jail terms in the various prison formations in the state.
DSP Luka Ayedoo, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Plateau command of the Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS), made the disclosure in a statement issued on Thursday in Jos.
According to him, the Chief Judge gave the order during the second round of jail delivery held from Aug. 6 to Aug. 8.
Ayedoo also said that 11 inmates were equally granted bail during the exercise, adding that the affected prisoners were among those awaiting trial.
He added that Dakwak expressed satisfaction with improved jail conditions at the prison and urged its management to do more.
He further said the chief judge extolled the criminal justice administration of the state for performing optimally, as evident in high ratio of convicted criminals over those awaiting trial.
Three persons were shot dead on Friday night in Zanwra area of Jebbu Miango, Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, by the herdsmen, throwing the whole community into fresh apprehension.
The attackers were said to have struck around 8pm, few hours after the visit of the new Commander of Special Military Taskforce code-named Operation Safe Haven, Maj. Gen. Augustine Agundu, to the area.
The OPSH Commander was said to have allegedly accused the Bassa people of stealing cows meant for the Fulani, a development he reportedly said, was partly responsible for the crisis.
The spokesperson for the Plateau State Police Command, Matthias Tyopev, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, confirmed the killings on Saturday, saying investigations had commenced.
He said, “Unknown armed men suspected to be Fulani herdsmen attacked Zanwra area of Jebbu Miango, Bassa LGA. Three persons were shot dead in the attack.
“They are; Emmanuel Gado ‘m’ aged 22, Ladi Monday ‘f’ age 30 and Mary Monday ‘f’ aged 5 years. Police detectives led by the Divisional Crime Officer of Bassa Police Division mobilised to the scene of the crime. One expended shell of 7.62mm ammunition was recovered.
The spokesperson for the Miango Youths Development Association, Lawrence Zongo, who spoke with PUNCH on Saturday said that, the government did not appear to be interested in the protection of lives and property.
He said, “People in Jiri village are all in Miango town; they were displaced when their houses were razed on June 20, as they went to the farm. We are yet to have a government that is willing to protect the lives and property of our people. We continue to bury our people daily as Fulani terrorists vow to continue killing us without an end.
“This attack occurred after the new STF commander, Maj. Gen. Augustine Agundu, visited our community. We knew nothing about it because we agreed that no Fulani should graze their cattle any more on our lands.”
The Plateau Government has concluded plans to commence free lessons for children in nine Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in the state.
The camps were established following recent attacks in some communities in Jos South, Riyom, Barkin Ladi and Bokkos Local Government Areas, which displaced more than 12,000 persons and destroyed properties worth millions of naira.
Mr Jude Dakur, the state Commissioner for Secondary Education told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos on Thursday that the lessons would be on the basic subjects for primary and secondary school children.
“We do not want these children to be backward in their studies because of the attacks in their communities.
“The teachers would be volunteers from the camps and from other Non- Governmental Organisations who had visited the camps.
“We are already collating the number of teachers in the IDPs camps to engage them in free lessons. Writing materials and teaching materials would be provided to facilitate the exercise, “ he said.
The commissioner said that to improve the standard of education in the state, the ministry had distributed computers to 40 public secondary schools to facilitate internet access for research and other academic purposes.
He said that the state government was working toward distributing computers to over 300 secondary schools and to also renovate schools affected by windstorms and rain.
Dakur said that the state government had sent a formal report to the National Examinations Council (NECO), notifying them that the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) were disrupted in the communities affected by the recent attacks.
“ Many candidates in the affected communities did not write all the subjects they registered for. We are hoping NECO would consider an alternative arrangement instead of the financial burden of registering again next year, “ he said
NAN reports that 13 public schools in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area could not complete the conduct of the NECO examinations due to the attacks.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has begun a three-day special surgical intervention programme as well as medical outreach for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and other residents of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau.
NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, AVM Olatokunbo Adesanya, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.
Adesanya said that the medical outreach was part of NAF’s efforts at easing the plight of persons affected by the recent violence in the area.
He said that the outreach attracted a large turnout of IDPs as well as residents of Barkin Ladi, whom he said expressed gratitude to NAF for its humanitarian gesture and concern for the well being of Nigerians.
” During the 3-day outreach, which is expected to end on 19 July 2018, patients with surgical needs would be operated on by NAF surgeons at the 563 NAF Hospital Jos .
” While patients with other medical needs would be treated and given drugs as deemed necessary.
” Medicated glasses and treated mosquito nets would also be distributed during the exercise,” he said
The spokesman said a total of 3,000 patients were expected to benefit from the special intervention by the NAF medical team.
On June 25, 2018, NAF deployed an Mi-35P combat helicopter and an Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft to Plateau in support of efforts aimed at quelling the crisis that erupted in the state.
The medical intervention is a follow-up to the earlier deployment of the helicopter as part of NAF’s efforts at enhancing civil-military relations.
The special military task force ‘Operation Safe Haven’ (OPSH) have confirmed arresting twenty-one suspects with links to the recent killings in Plateau State.
Among them are those found with arms and suspected hoodlums who hijacked the protests sparked by the killings.
The special task force comprises police, Air Force, Army and paramilitary security agencies.
The suspects were paraded yesterday at the OPSH Headquarters in Jos by the media officer of the task force, Major Adam Umar and Police Public Relations Officer Tyopev Terna.
Major Umar said: “Out of the 21 suspects we arrested so far, 11 of them are those arrested in connection to the killings in Barkin Ladi and environs while 14 of them were arrested from the scene of the civil disturbances after the attacks.
He added: “In our efforts to fish out the criminals carrying out attacks in some villages in the state, particularly in Barkin Ladi, we have been able to arrest some people from the scene of attacks.
“The suspects we are parading were arrested with arms, some of them with locally made guns, revolver and other dangerous weapons which they are not supposed to have as citizens.
“Information we extracted from the original suspects led us to trace some other accomplices and we have also arrested them. And there is the possibility of making more arrests over those killings as we intensify our efforts to get to the root of these killings in pursuant of our mandate to stop the killings, prevent further killings and restore total peace in the state.
“In our commitment and desire not to give the attackers opportunity to operate or opportunity to escape after attack, the commander of OPSH has relocated to Barkin Ladi based on his resolve to remain with the villagers and monitor things closely and to be able to respond faster to distress calls from residents in danger.
“To be able to achieve better results in tracking these criminals, we are appealing to members of the public to oblige us with credible and useful information. This battle against these criminals should be seen by the general public as a collective one. We need everyone’s cooperation to do more than we are doing.”
Most of the suspects paraded have blood stains on their dresses. One of the suspects wore military trousers. Some victims alleged that some of the assailants were dressed in military uniform.
The task force did not however disclose the names of the suspects.
The Plateau Government has reviewed the curfew it imposed in three local governments of Jos South, Riyom and Barkin Ladi to 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily
On June 24, the Government of Plateau, imposed a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew in Jos to avert a further breakdown of law and order, following the killing of scores of people in some communities.
The downward review of the curfew was announced in a statement yesterday by Secretary to the State Government Rufus Bature.
“The period of curfew earlier imposed on Jos South, Riyom and Barkin Ladi Local Government Areass has been reviewed.
“The period of the curfew is now 10pm to 6am daily,” Bature said.
The statement advised citizens to go about their lawful duties and continue to be vigilant.
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