In a sad development, ViewPointNigeria reports of another attack in “Mai Farin Moto village, Jos North LGA – yesterday 23rd October 2017.

Mai Farin Moto is a small village adjacent to Dong village (Jos North) – i.e., the village where most of the Irigwe people displaced from the Nkiedonwhro, Jebbu Miango and Taagbe attacks sought refuge.

On this occasion, suspected herdsmen were said to have stormed the village and totally razed/burnt it down – no single house was left standing. Fortunately, most of the inhabitants had already fled following the numerous attacks into surrounding localities. And as such, there was no loss of lives.

At the time of filing this report, security operatives were already said to have stormed the area to restore calm.

ViewPointNigeria Analysis

The circumstances of this new attack demonstrates the dire situation of security in Plateau villages.

Most inhabitants of the villages (i.e., who have lived there for un-countable generations) are now realising that they have to choose between remaining there in the communities and getting killed by herdsmen, or abandoning their communities/lands/heritage/livelihood in order to save their lives.

Plateau villages have become no-go areas, because a new type of terror has emerged – and yet, Government does not seem to see this. Plateau natives are constantly treated as expendables (i.e., like something that can just be spent without much thought). Their lives appear not to matter, because every attack is met with the same cliche phrase of “Government condemns the attacks and will bring the perpetrators to book”..……..but for the umpteenth time, no tangible action has been taken to safeguard lives.

As it stands, Plateau cities and towns are swelling because of mass exodus from villages, where people are weary that Fulani herdsmen can attack at any time. As such, many thriving villages (which have existed for centuries) are now ceasing to exist because the inhabitants are having to make live-or-death decisions.

In the case of this attack, the livelihoods of these villagers (including houses, farm produce, clothes, belongings etc) has now been burnt.

How and where do they start from?  What schools do they send their children? What farms should they return to? How do they integrate into their new cities/towns? …………………………Too many questions and very few answers.  What a pity.

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Suspected herdsmen attack Mai Farin Moto near Dong village, raze down village