I Stand With Peace, Enough Of BloodShed On The Plateau

Just when we thought everything is over, the enemies of peace and Nigeria are at it again. But to set the records straight, let me breakdown some details of how things unfold that led to the recent breakdown of Law and Order in Barkin Ladi LGA and environs.

These unfortunate incidents led to a full blown tribal/religious crisis in Plateau North Senatorial District. In the past decade a lot of crisis erupted in Plateau State, people have moved on in some of the areas, but why are we still having crisis that is leading to loss of lives and property in Berom Land?

Governor Lalong should deal with these issues decisively, some people are out there to cause trouble just to discredit the Government at State and Federal level.

If you think I am joking drive a pickup van with cows in the trunk and pass via Kassa, Heipang, Mararraban Foron, Marraban Jama’a, Anguldi or alternatively through Nafang, Fan, Bisichi, Foron and Du villages and see whether you will come out alive.

The hatred is too much and incomprehensible.

Some people stay on the highways and give their allies details of vehicles conveying Fulani Men or anybody that looks like them taking their cows to the popular Kara (cow Market)  in Bukuru (Jos South LGA), once they pass through any of the two routes coming from Mangu, Pankshin, Bokkos and other LGAs through berom, they block them, lynch them and rustle their cows.

The below unfortunate events took place all within the month of June 2018.

1. On the 8th of June Four young Fulani men coming back from Kara Cattle market in Bukuru were shot immediately after Kassa Hill Military check point, less than 2Km from the check point.
2. On 12th of June at around 8pm some Fulani people of Quanpan LGA of plateau State coming back from Bukuru Kara market were shot at Kassa hill before Barikin Ladi LGA secretariat unfortunately one of them lost his life.
3. On June 13th a minor Jaafar Salihu herding his parents COWs, was killed at Nding Village also around Kassa hill and they removed his head till date the head wasn’t recovered, he was buried like that
4. Then the last aggression took place on Jun 21st at about 6pm Some Fulani men Bala, Lawal and Ibrahim Kuwait on their way coming back from Kara market in Bukuru were shot, killed and their vehicle was set ablaze at Heipang village to be precise inside the railway round about, pictures attached.
5. A day after Sallah Jun 16th 2018 at about 14:00 hours some Hausa Boys of Barikin Ladi town driving a Vectra Opel vehicle with reg number JJN 54 CF heading to Mangu LGA narrowly escaped death with minor and major injuries and the car wrecked, as Berom youths launched an attacked on them in front of the Military Check point, what’s their offence? Ans: They are Muslims and the berom youths want to avenge an attack on some villages made by Fulani herders.
6. On Saturday 23rd Jun 2018 the people of Mangu blocked the highway and said nobody is going to pass until justice is done to one of their men that was killed in a Berom community between Dorowa village and Mangu Hale, until his demise he was a butcher and he went to collect his money from one of his customers he gives meat, he was simply killed because he is Muslim, is he a herdsman?

I blame the Men and Officers of Operation Safe Heaven for their poor handling of the following issues that took place in Barikin Ladi and environs, had it been they acted promptly this avoidable incidents would’ve been averted.

I call on the security to be up and doing, they should deploy modern techniques in managing attacks and counter attacks if not the carnage will probably continue until the realities on ground are rewritten to reflect the reality of modern war.

Instead of reflecting on why the current strategies are not working, FFK, CAN, TY Danjuma, Jerry Gana and their associates have an opportunity to pour out the anti-Islamic venom on an issue that is purely criminal.

Facebook online commentators will follow along the same path. If they are not abusing the ‘clueless’, ‘certificateless’, ‘Boko haram sponsor’ etc. at the top they are attacking Islam for being a jihadist, blood-spilling religion.

1. Our problem as a people we now don’t have respect to our divergent identities, we don’t even tolerate one another, we have come to adopt the destruction of the lives and properties of people on the other side as the greatest way to establish the superiority of and defend our identity.

Do not forget that when we meet in public places, schools and markets, we pretend to be friends and brothers, but when we return to our homes and places of worship, the identity changes, and is let loose at the slightest provocation.

This is the situation of the nomadic Fulani and indigenous communities of North-Central Nigeria. In more recent times in North-Central Nigeria, the difference between herdsmen and crop farmers has become more dreadfully amplified than at any other time.

And since the onset of the past decade, Plateau State has become quite symbolic and representative of ethno-religious conflict.

When elder statesman like General TY Danjuma calls on his people to protect themselves, it is merely a reminder to the fact that the state is losing its ability to protect the common man against armed aggression.

While Danjuma’s call may sound obscene and insane to an outsider, it might be the only alternative left for a helpless villager.

However, with the proliferation of arms that threaten to saturate the Northern part of Plateau State, preventing and resolving ethno-religious conflict would demand for an extreme political will.

However, this much needed political will cannot come from a state that has always seen and heard a single side of the conflict. Where the state [media] focuses its camera on only one side, the inevitable danger of a single story is more destructive than that expressed by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

The nomadic Fulani does not have the qualification or interest to participate in politics or democratic governance. The Fulani does not have a voice in the state owned media [Plateau be it TV, Print or Radio], therefore the state does not get to hear his own side of the story.

I might sound to be on the side of the Fulani here, and I have no apology for that because people like me get caught in the crossfire for the simple fact that we share religious identity with the majority of the Fulani.

Where indigenous people of North-Central states would stop travellers on federal highways simply because they wear kaftan, look Muslims or have beard, there is a serious need for government to be active and proactive instead of been reactive.

Now, for us to have a permanent solution to this conflict, the state must at least ensure balance in media reportage of the conflict. When communities are attacked, we must sympathize with them irrespective of our differences of identity.

Those hiding in the bushes and shooting innocent people going about their legitimate business must be stopped. Also people should stop putting poison on cattle route and rivers for cattle to eat/drink and die.

Herders should/must allow farmers go to their farms and do their legitimate business of farming. We are better off.

Finally, may God restore our sense of sanity so that we can appreciate the need for peaceful coexistence.

No place on earth will develop without having others around you, even America that we see as a great nation accommodate others, God Almighty has created us and he has destined for us to live together, then why not live in peace and harmony?

If God wants we can all be the same tribe and religion but He has chosen for us to be grouped and sub grouped into different nations and entities as He so wishes, then why undo what God has ordained?

By Anonymous