By Editor

[FILES] A general view of a burnt house in the Kukawa village in the Kanam Local Government Area of the Plateau state on April 12, 2022 after houses were burnt down during an attack by bandits. – President Muhammadu Buhari vowed on April 12, 2022 there would be no mercy for those behind the killings of more than a hundred people in a series of attacks in central Nigeria.<br />Gunmen raided and ransacked a group of villages there, local sources said, in one of worst attacks this year blamed on heavily armed criminal gangs.<br />Condemning what he called the “heinous” killings, Buhari promised that the perpetrators would receive “no mercy”. (Photo by AFP)

Sir: The invasion in broad daylight on Sunday, April 10, 2022 of Kukawa, Gyambawu, Dungur, Kyaram, Yelwa, Dadda, Wanka, Shuwaka, Gwammadaji and Dadin Kowa communities of Plateau State by large numbers of Fulani militias branded as terrorists or bandits is a clear case of genocide. During the said attack, many people were killed.

So far, 80 bodies have been accounted for but the actual number of those killed is yet to be tallied as there were still dead bodies in the bush.

During the said attack, over 70 people, mostly women were abducted; more than 100 houses razed down and several persons sustained gunshot wounds and are receiving treatment at the Hospital in Jos.

The attack has led to the desertion of villages and the indigenous people forced out of their ancestral homes to take refuge in internally displaced persons camp while the so called terrorists take possession of their land. The attack has disrupted government and economic activities. Definitely the attack has adversely affected the clearing of the communities’ farms in preparation for the planting season. All these losses would have been avoided if only the authorities were up and doing.

What does the State Governor, Simon Bako Lalong mean by claiming that he directed security forces to dominate the area after their initial response which put a stop to the carnage, and that he also charged them to go after the fleeing terrorists. We all know that he is a Chief Security Officer who cannot even direct an ant not to talk of commanding it.

From intelligence report, the terrorists have been hibernating in the disputed game reserve in the local government area for quite some time before Sunday’s attacks. So why did the governor and police not act? Why wait for havoc to be wrecked on innocent and defenceless Nigerian citizens going about their legitimate activities before taking action? This is why I keep saying that what is going on in Plateau State and throughout Nigeria is a systematic, internalised and institutional genocide.

The governor must stop vowing that those behind the carnage would be made to pay a heavy price because we have heard his vows several times before and nothing came out of it. In January this year, over 17 persons were killed by the so-called Bandits in Ncha community, Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State. What happened? Nothing!

The lawmakers of Plateau State both at the federal and state levels get a chunk of the blame for failing to act proactively by passing laws and carrying out enlightenment campaigns to help the people defend themselves from unprovoked and unwarranted attacks. Of what use are the condemnation, commiseration and prayers of the lawmakers to the families of those who lost their loved ones in the said attack? It all amounts to hypocrisy.

The Plateau Elders Forum must educate people of their right to self defence. They must apply for licenced guns for their people and stop the pity party. Without the balance of terror, these terrorists will continue their killing spree and destruction.

Malcolm Emokiniovo Omirhobo.