THE FORUM OF FORMER YOUTH LEADERS (VETERANS) PRESS BRIEFING ON THE ETHNIC CLEANSING THROUGH THE INSTRUMENTALITY OF RELIGION, ETHINCITY AND LAND GRABBING IN PLATEAU STATE

Gentlemen of the Press,
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is with great concern to talk about the brutal killings of over 300 Plateau people in three local governments on the Eve of Christmas and Christmas Day, 2023 by Fulani terrorists have once again demonstrated that the enemies of the state are hell bend on erasing Plateau people on the face of the Planet earth. Indeed, Plateau is under the siege of ethnic cleansing through the instrumentality of religion, ethnicity and land grabbing.

As reported by the Cable on the 29th December, 2023, over 20 villages traversing Bokkos, Barkin Ladi and Mangu in what seems to be a premeditated genocide against a peaceful and loving people, who had already started celebrating the Christmas could only be imagined. We are deeply pained that with several distress calls to the security agencies to avert or to halt the then ongoing massacre of Plateau natives in the affected communities, the killings continued unabated.

We appreciate the action and directive of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Sen Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR for sending a high-Powered delegation led by the Vice President Kashim Shettima, which included National Security Adviser, Service Chiefs and some members of the National Assembly. However, let these visits not be like the previous visits that ended up in mere condemnation and rhetorics but should muster the needed political will to prevent the ongoing carnage and dastardly act of the evil genocidal monsters believed to be Fulani terrorists, rampaging Plateau state.
Gentlemen of the press, it is a truism that this evil plot against Plateau metamorphosed and came to full glare in 2001 in Jos North and South LGAs from where it spread to Langtang North, Kanam, Yelwa- Shendam, Wase, Riyom, Barkin Ladi, Bassa, Bokkos, Mangu and now in Jos East. From the foregoing, it has become more glaring that Plateau state is under siege because as at today, the state is being enveloped by the enemies of the state, MiddleBelt and the country at large.

May we remind you that for many years now Plateau natives have been brutally butchered in cold blood including our chiefs and traditional title holders, who were not also spared from the litany of bloodbath being experienced on the Plateau. It is worthy to note the following occurrences that are still begging for further investigation and action;
The Galadima of Manguna of Bokkos Local Government Area Da Haruna Maren was killed on the 26th of May 2016.
The Saf RonKulere, Da Lazarus Agai, a First Class Chief was murdered on Monday 18th July 2017 along with his driver and body guard.
The Saf (Chief) Forof, Ali Magaji was murdered on the 12th April, 2017.
Miskom Francis Didi, Kana Nkur, Chief of Longvel Village in Shendam Local Government Area, was killed on his farm on the 8th July 2017.
Malam Gambo Maka, the Chief of Numani in Sanga Local Government Area of Kaduna State and his wife were killed on the 2nd January, 2018.
Dr. Galadima Maiwada, the Agwom Adara of Kajuru Chiefdom was kidnapped when returning from Kaduna in October 2018, after a meeting with Governor Nasir El-Rufai and murdered after a ransom had been paid on him. His death was announced by the Kaduna State Government on Friday 26th October 2018. The now former Governor of Kaduna State Nasir El- Rufai, who was the prime suspect over the killing of Dr. Maiwada, has not been detained or even questioned over the incident, even after leaving office.
Gentlemen of the Press, ladies and gentlemen, how can a country operate like this?
The Village Head of Odu of Nasarawa State Mr. Amos Obere was murdered in September 2020.
Da Bulus Chuwang Jang the then Acting Gwom Rwei of Foron was murdered in October 2020.
To crown it all, we have not forgotten the assassination of Air Marshal Alex Sabundu Badeh, the former Chief of General Staff, on the 18th December, 2019.
Most of these assassinations were believed to have been carried out by Fulani militias. We are aware that the investigations into these murders and many others all over the country have not yet produced the expected results.
Gentlemen of the press, what crime has the Plateau Man committed to deserve all these?
For instance, we are perturbed by the contradictory reports on the alleged missing, death and discovery of the corpse of one Ardo of Panyam- Malam Adamu Idris Gabdo, whose decomposed corpse was said to been discovered in Dawaki in Kanke LGA and later in Boi of Bogoro LGA of Bauchi State. This incident is likened to that of September 3rd 2018 when retired Army General, Idris Alkali was reported missing on his way to Bauchi and the army said investigations revealed that he went missing in the vicinity of Dura in Jos-South Local Government Area of Plateau State. Subsequently, it was reported that the decomposed body of the Army General were recovered in a well and given a military burial. Although no medical test was carried out to confirm if the body parts found in the well were actually those of General Alkali. In the two cases no autopsy was carried out to confirm the authenticity of their deaths. In all these, the Plateau Natives were humiliated and some of them still in incarceration. For instance, Mr. Philip Gukas (Jaykimo) is still being held by security agents over the alleged death of the Ardo.
The Plateau Youth Veterans have earlier raised an alarm that the alleged missing, death and discovery of the decomposed body of Malam Adamu Idris Gabdo and that of the General could be ploys or had been orchestrated to give the Plateau people a bad name and thereby set them up as targets for attacks and annihilation.

On this note, we wish to state that, Plateau people have no place to run to. They have no any other land to settle and claim. But the Fulani person who is more or less nomadic can come from, as far as Mali, Niger Republic and Chad and is allowed to graze and farm freely but had always turned round to be a problem and threat to his landlord.

OUR PRAYERS

Considering the confidence we have in the ability of our security agencies, we believe that:
They will embark on a full scale investigation to arrest the perpetrators of this heinous crime.
We call on the Plateau government to synergize with Federal government to seeing to the implementation of Plateau Anti Land Grabbing Law
The outcome of this investigation should not end up in the archives unlike the previous ones.
The new government at the Federal, State and Local Government to call a spade a spade and to ensure that those culprits be identified and arrested and given the appropriate punishment.
There should be display of high level of professionalism amongst our security agencies to produce the needed results in the series of attacks in Plateau State and Nigeria at large.
We call on the security agencies to investigate the earlier alleged call by the Fulanis to ensure that Nigeria become the world Headquarters of the Fulanis.

Thank you and God bless.

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Press release: past youth leaders add voice to Plateau killings.