Plateau Governor confirms 64 communities under terrorists’ control

The Governor of Plateau State, Caleb Muftwang, has described the ongoing wave of deadly attacks in the state as “genocide” sponsored by terrorist groups, following the latest onslaught in Bokkos Local Government Area (LGA) that left over 50 people dead and thousands displaced.

Speaking on a television programme on Tuesday, the Governor expressed deep frustration over the continued violence, calling for urgent security intervention and the identification of those behind the assaults.

“I can tell you in all honesty that I cannot find any explanation other than genocide sponsored by terrorists,” Muftwang said.

“The question is, who are the persons behind the organisers of this terrorism? This is what the security agencies must help us to unravel.

The governor stated that the attacks had gone beyond the familiar narrative of farmer-herder clashes, and instead represent a deliberate campaign to wipe out entire communities.

“We must come to the point where we know the sponsors because it is not just the work of ordinary people. This is being sponsored from somewhere,” he added.

In recent weeks, multiple communities in Bokkos LGA and other parts of the North-Central state have been attacked, with homes destroyed and survivors forced to flee. The governor revealed that at least 64 communities across Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, and Riyom LGAs had been forcibly taken over by armed groups.

“As I am talking to you, there are not less than 64 communities that have been taken over by bandits on the Plateau. They have been taken over, renamed, and people are living there conveniently on lands they pushed people away to occupy,” he said.

Plateau State has been a flashpoint for ethno-religious and resource-based conflicts over the years. However, the scale and intensity of the current violence, including a massacre that claimed nearly 200 lives during Christmas 2023, has raised fears of a deepening security crisis.

Governor Muftwang called on Nigeria’s security agencies to act in unison and deliver the intelligence needed to stop further bloodshed.

“I am sure that in the coming days, the security agencies will work together – not at cross purposes but in unison – to be able to bring out the requisite intelligence that will help us to put this matter behind us,” he said.

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