The world was shocked at the level and expert coordination of the bloody attacks that took place in Gashish district and other communities of Barkin Ladi and Riyom LGAs, between 22 to 23 of June, 2018. The attacks led to the death of about 250 people.

IDP camps to accommodate the survivors of the gruesome terror attacks sprung up simultaneously across Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, Riyom and Jos South LGAs. While some of the inmates of the IDPs have abandoned the camps due to abject neglect by the authorities, some are still held there for lack of where to relocate to.

All efforts to make government both at state and federal, to objectively address the challenges of security in the affected communities, have resoundingly fell on deaf ears.

As at today, the fulani terrorists have taken absolute control of the lands and houses of the displaced aboriginal people, now starving in the IDP camps.

Early this year, perhaps as a preparatory move for votes in the February/March elections, some of the displaced people, on government prompting, relocated back to their ancestral homes and commenced building their habitats. Unfortunately, the unexpected occurred as Fulani terrorists came calling, and pulled down to ground all the structures, at various levels of progression. This halted the process of relocation and attempted resettlement of the displacement of the internal refugees.

Since then nothing has been done by the commander, officers and men of the Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), to either arrest the killers in the 2018 attacks, the demolition squad of March 2019 or even providing the basic assurance of minimal security to intending returnees.

In the midst of the deliberate display of mendacity by the security outfits, killings occur on a daily basis, across Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, Riyom, Jos South LGAs, as villagers are ambushed and hacked down in the farms, on the road, in their homes. Two weeks back female students of the State University, Bokkos were invaded, raped and killed, by Fulani terrorists, in their hostel.

While we grapple with all this licensed lawlessness that is fast becoming the official norm, we were taken aback when, a day to the observance of the one year anniversary of Gashish Massacre, the OPSH got out of its professional calling of guaranteeing security of life and property, into organising feasts for the terrorists in Gashish.

That the fulani herdsmen on occupation in Gashish would celebrate a year of their ‘conquest’ is sad but obviously horrendous, unsettling and insensitive seeing the military constituting itself into the prime organizers. This is very unfortunate, and worse, a confirmation of the long held suspicion of compromise on the part of the military.

The BECO is not in doubt about its absolute condemnation, in the strongest term, of the shameful role of the military in the theatrical antics that took place in Gashish on the 22/6/19.

The pictorial illustration of the event revealed yet a sympathetic scenerio of Berom women dancing to entertain fulani herdsmen, all seated under canopies. That some of the women were tricked out of the IDP camps, into the arena of the so called feast of peace, clearly illustrates the evil mindset of the organizers of the event.

The successful staging of the feast clearly puts to lie any excuse on the inability of the OPSH to guarantee the security of our people. It also confirms our position that the pogrom against our people is deliberate and sponsored. The same security outfit that has failed to provide minimal security to villagers to farm, was suddenly on ground effectively and efficiently doing the opposite, during the feast of peace.

Since it is within the power and competence of the OPSH to guarantee security in Gashish, we insist this should be done immediately to fast track the genuine process of the resettlement of our people in Gashish, Shining, Lwa, Jol, all villages of Ropp and other communities.

Da Chollom Gyang
Secretary General.

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Berom Apex Body Condemns So-called Gashish Feast Of Peace