by Christiana Gokyo, Jos
The Middle-Belt Journalists Forum (MBJF) has expressed shock over recent renewed attacks on innocent people in parts of Plateau State during the week where students and members of a community were mowed down by forces of evil.
The Forum has called on Military Authorities, particularly the Chief of Defence Staff, Lt-Gen Christopher Musa, the Service Chiefs, top echelon of security and defence formations in the country to save the Middle-Belt region from the deadly attacks allegedly by armed marauding herdsmen, who have laid siege on several communities in the region as exemplified by the killings in Plateau, Benue and Kogi States in recent time.
A statement to this regard was signed by the Forum’s National President, Comrade Mark Mayah, and National Secretary, Comrade Ladi Emmanuel, and issued to our correspondent in Jos on Saturday.
It observed that, “The recurring incidents in the region, to say the least, are most unfortunate, barbaric and tragic, and those responsible for the attacks and killings must be tracked down and held accountable, as the killings in the region have assumed a monumental proportion.”
According to the Forum, “The region, which seems to be the sole target for these genocidal attacks, has remained under the stranglehold of the killers for over two decades.”
The statement averred that, “The most recent of this genocide was the maiming and killing of no fewer than 50 innocent citizens in Bagana, Otutubatu, Iyade, Agbenema, Agojeju, Odo in Omala Local Government Area of Kogi State; the massacre in Gwer-West Local Government Area of Benue State where twenty-eight people were killed on April 17.
In Mangu and Bokkos Local Government Areas of Plateau State, over seventeen people were killed, and Plateau State University, Bokkos campus where some students were gunned down by the herdsmen/terrorists.
“We are very sad at the development, and we are calling on the Federal Government to step up efforts to end this act of continuous blood bathe in the Middle-Belt geopolitical zone of the country. The region has made enough sacrifices to keep this country together and must be appreciated than what is happening now,” the statement added.
“It is wrong for anyone to label what is happening in the region as ‘farmers/herdsmen conflict,’ while in actual sense, it is ethnic cleansing with the aim of possessing the ancestral land.”
While calling on the Federal Government to muster the political will that is required to save the region from the systematic genocide, the Forum noted that: “The life of every Nigerian is sacred and important, and it is the responsibility of the Federal Government to protect the masses against internal and external aggression.”
The Forum further urged the authorities to sit-up to its primary responsibility of “securing the country” and appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, all the Service Chiefs and the National Security Adviser to swiftly intervene and thoroughly investigate the cause of the persistent killings.
“We seek humanitarian assistance for those displaced by the conflict, while the Middle-Belt Journalists Forum shares in the grief of the families of those that lost their lives in the unfortunate incidents, and calls on the people to be steadfast and co-operate with the security forces for the restoration of lasting peace.
“The MBJF demands for the recovery of public schools, health care facilities and farmlands currently under occupation by these armed terrorists.”