An estimated 300 deaths have been recorded on the Plateau since December 2023, while thousands have been displaced from their homes that were destroyed. Also, over 60 communities have been taken over by suspected militia groups. VICTOR GAI, digs into the background of what has become a recurring decimal on the Plateau for over two decades.
The killings have remained unabated on the Plateau for more than two decades when it all started. A once peaceful state has become quite unstable. It is like the Hobbesian state of nature where life is brutish, nasty and short. In a state of anarchy, lawlessness is the order of the day, terror reigns and confusion sets in. That is the classic example of the current situation in Plateau state. The government, whose responsibility it is to guarantee the security of lives and property seems confused, the people at the receiving end seem helpless while the evil perpetrators are having a field day, killing and destroying what they can find on their way.
But how did we get to this point? Would the terror ever end? These are the questions on the minds of every concerned Plateau man as well as citizens of Benue, Taraba, Kaduna, Borno and other states that are being ravaged by terrorism perpetrated by faceless persons.
Speaking to Channels Television in the wake of the pen-ultimate week night attack in Kwall, Plateau state that claimed over 50 lives, the Plateau state governor painted a grim picture of what is happening in the state.
“These communities that have been recently attacked were part of the communities that were attacked in 2023 but they survived it and rebuilt themselves. The Ruwi community that was first attacked lost about 17 people in 2023 but they bounced back to show you the resilience of the people.
“If these attacks have been going on for close to 10 years, it tells you that there is a deliberate, conscious attempt to clean out populations and to reopen.
“As I am talking to you, there are not less than 64 communities that have been taken over by bandits on the Plateau between Bokkos, Barkin Ladi and Riyom Local Governments. They have been taken over, renamed and people are living there conveniently on lands they pushed people away to occupy,” the governor said.
But beyond this narrative, there is a consensus on who the perpetrators of these dastardly acts are. All hands are pointed to the Fulani herdsmen who coexisted with indigenous groups for centuries. Also, the contending issues happen to be space for grazing. However, the issues of religion, politics and criminality crept in and worsened what initially was farmer-herder conflict.
‘’The Fulani people’s history in Plateau State, particularly around Jos, is marked by both periods of co-existence and conflict with indigenous groups like the Berom. Initially, Fulani pastoralists arrived in the area, settling alongside other groups like the Hausa. However, tensions arose over land and resources, especially after the British colonial period when tin mining attracted more settlers, leading to increased competition. This competition, coupled with political and religious differences, eventually escalated into violent conflicts,” says an AI overview on the matter.
Also, the Italian Institute for International Political Studies added this way: “on the Global Terrorism Index, the Fulani are portrayed as an ethnic terrorist group. This index aggregates conflicts that people of Fulani ethnicity are involved in and labels them as ‘terrorism’, while mass violence against Fulani communities, of which there has been much across the centre and north of Nigeria and in other parts of the region, tends not to feature. The violence is thus portrayed as being one-way, rather than as a dynamic with often many different armed actors involved and high numbers of civilian casualties across ethnic lines. Criminal gangs of bandits in north-west Nigeria, who are often Fulani in composition, are labelled as ‘Fulani extremists’ in the index, not as ‘criminals’, ‘bandits’ or ‘cattle rustlers’. Are they working towards a wider ethnic agenda?”
Despite the fact that the Fulani herdsmen and farmers happen to be classified under the category of peasants with the former having cattle as their mainstay and the latter, land as their mainstay, the violence is skewed against the farmers. It is the more reason why there is the general consensus that the crisis goes beyond farmer-herders conflict.
“Let us be clear: this is not an isolated conflict between farmers and herders. What we are witnessing is a systematic and premeditated campaign-one that seeks to displace, destabilize and instill terror and fear on our people and communities. The tragic echoes of Dogo Nahawa, Riyom, Barkin-Ladi, Mangu and the Christmas eve massacres in Bokkos remain vivid. The cycle continuous, but it must not endure, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!” Plateau state governor, Caleb Muftwang, stated during a statewide broadcast in the aftermath of the recent attacks.
He also resolved that the state would continue to remain resilient in the face of attacks by enemies even as he initiated some security measures to stem the tide of the violence.
“As your governor, I stand resolved -Plateau shall not be overrun by fear, nor shall we accept this culture of bloodshed as the new normal. My administration is intensifying efforts to protect our people and enforce the rule of law across all local governments.
“But let me reassure you: my government is alive to its constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and property, and we are rising to the occasion more determined than ever.
“Security deployments are being reinforced, and Operation Rainbow is being restructured to support community stabilization efforts.
“To restore calm and strengthen vigilance, I hereby announce the following measures: night grazing of cattle I strictly prohibited. Transportation of cattle by vehicles is banned after 7:00pm. The use of motorcycles is restricted from 7:00pm to 6:00am across the state until further notice.
“We are also activating community based response systems. I urge traditional leaders and youth organizations to reactivate local vigilante groups and organize night patrols in coordination with the security agencies. We must protect our communities while upholding the rule of law.
“Furthermore, I have mandated the newly inaugurated Inter-Religious Council to begin immediate engagement with all stakeholders to address the deeper issues surrounding these attacks. I shall also be appointing a Special Envoy on peace to lead grassroots consultations and intelligence coordination.
“A Fact-Finding Committee comprising respected independent voices will be constituted to investigate the root cause of this resurgence in violence and offer actionable recommendations”.
But while these measures may serve as immediate response to deal with the situation, there is need to look into more serious issues such as the displacement of communities by aliens. It is believed that the continuous occupation of those communities by suspected militias only gives legitimacy to the occupants and even embolden the attackers the more.
The Anti-Land Grabbing Law
There were several attempts to solve the protracted acts of violence by terror Fulani herdsmen across several states in the country. This include dialogues, advocacies, creation of local security apparatuses as well as legislations.
For instance, between 2015 and 2018, the Taraba and Benue state governments put up in place the Anti-Open Grazing Laws, but they never achieved the purpose for which they were established. Instead, the two states experienced more bloodshed.
The then Plateau state governor, Simon Lalong, who was not immune to the problem opted for a different Law called the Anti-Land Grabbing Law. He was widely criticized for jettisoning the idea of banning open grazing despite the popular demand for such a legislation. His reluctance to take such a drastic action was interpreted on political lines since he belonged to President Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC), which was perceived to be sympathetic to the Fulani. However, it was not long that he got a dose of the same bitter pill and had to take a drastic action against the problem. Consequently, in 2020, Lalong signed the Anti-Land Grabbing Law.
In the wake of one of those attacks, Governor Lalong on the 14th of November, 2018, visited the site of a proposed Mobile Police Squadron in one of the affected communities, Gashish District in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area. After his assessment, an angry Lalong told the “foreign” occupants that those who forcefully annexed ancestral homes and villages of Plateau people would soon be forced out.
“Nobody will take the land from the original owners. If you are occupying somebody’s land or house, know that you are living on borrowed time.
“It is not a matter of choice, you will be forced out soon.This is not just in Gashish; it will cover the entire state. We will not allow anybody to take over another person’s property,” he declared.
He had advised the illegal occupants of the houses to vacate them, saying that the government would restore peace and resettle displaced persons to their original places.
“As a responsible government, we cannot fold our arms to see people being terrorized by criminals who are clearly out to cause mayhem.
“This new law will deal with anyone caught in the act and I urge security agencies to be on their toes and ensure that culprits are apprehended and made to face the law”, he warned.
He called on communities to rise up to the challenge by identifying and fishing out criminals within their domains and passing relevant information to security agencies to act.
The new Law provides a death sentence for those convicted for kidnapping, while those found guilty of cultism will be jailed for a minimum of 7 years.
Those involved in violence against persons also risk spending up to 10 years in jail upon conviction.
But five years down the line, the legislation has not achieved its desired results even as communities kept getting sacked with attendant deaths and loss of properties.
FGs response
The response from the government at the centre on the Plateau violence and in several others only received passive response, a reason why they persisted. The failure of the state to intervene and end the killings put paid to the question of a failed state. Even at that, the security of the people is said to be the primary responsibility og government.
Writing in Cable online, Julius Ogunro said, “In the north-central, there is an appalling level of insecurity with the herder/farmer conflicts claiming thousands of lives. Southern Kaduna, Benue, and Plateau appear to have become killing fields with people being slaughtered daily. This week alone, over 130 people were killed in Mangu and Riyom local governments in Plateau state, and many houses were destroyed. Such killings have become all too common and rarely make the front pages of the newspaper.
“So while Nigeria may not be officially regarded as a failed state, it is evidently not an example of a stable and mature democracy either. It, in fact, exhibits many features of a fragile state, including economic decline and widespread poverty, extensive violence and insecurity, and notably, the loss of some territory to non-state actors. But these symptoms have not coalesced nor developed into a full-blown disease yet and have therefore not overwhelmed the government.
“While that may be a cause to cheer, we should be wary because failed states don’t suddenly happen. It often begins with the gradual erosion of national sovereignty and the weakening of state institutions through corruption, nepotism, and politics, a situation Nigerians are currently very familiar with.
“In conclusion, while Nigeria may not be a failed state, it is definitely a frail one”.
But in his response, President Tinubu gave the assurance of government’s intervention like it has been done in the past. Speaking through his Special Adviser, Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President said, “The ongoing violence between communities in Plateau State, rooted in misunderstandings between different ethnic and religious groups, must cease.
“I have instructed security agencies to thoroughly investigate this crisis and identify those responsible for orchestrating these violent acts. We cannot allow this devastation and the tit-for-tat attacks to continue. Enough is enough.
“Beyond dealing with the criminal elements of these incessant killings, the political leadership in Plateau State, led by Governor Caleb Mutfwang, must address the root cause of this age-long problem. These problems have been with us for more than two decades. We can no longer ignore the underlying issues. It is time to tackle them fairly and find a lasting solution. I have dsiscussed these problems with the governor over time and offered suggestions for lasting peace.
“The Federal Government remains committed to supporting Governor Mutfwang and the Plateau State government in promoting dialogue, fostering social cohesion, and ensuring accountability—crucial steps towards permanently resolving the conflict in Plateau”.
Plateau indigenes/MACBAN react
Plateau indigenes as well as the Fulani socio-political group, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), have both condemn the latest but protracted violence on the Plateau. They both called for community cooperation and synergy to deal with the situation as both group count their losses.
In a statement, the Plateau Indigenous Development Association of Nigeria (PIDAN), called for “full investigation to this obvious genocide against our people”.
The President of PIDAN, Ambassador Nanpon Danjuma Sheni, stated: “I call on all our community development associations to reactivate and enhance their internal security mechanisms”.
On his part, the State Chairman, MACBAN, Mallam Ibrahim Yusuf Babayo, while condemning the acts of violence, also counted the losses incurred by members of his association.
In a chat with Sunday Standard, Babayo stated: “I condemn what happened in totality. Honestly, we are not happy at all. But our people are being provoked in Mangu. On 10 April, about 50 cows were rustled from Murish to Kerang. A herder was kidnapped and we presume he has been killed. Some 30 cows were poisoned in Bassa. A herder was killed in Jos South without any provocation. 73 were rustled in Mangu”.
On the solution to the protracted violence in the land, he advised: “we can go back to our traditional rulers, youths. We have been fighting for over 20 years without any achievement. We in Plateau state should ask why we are fighting ourselves”.