Crisis: Army returns IDPs to ancestral land 7 years after

The Special Task Force, Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) has returned Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their former community of Jong, in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State. Daily Trust Saturday reports that the OPSH, a multi-security task force maintaining peace and harmony in Plateau, Bauchi and Kaduna states, returned the persons, who were […]

Crisis: Army returns IDPs to ancestral land 7 years after

The Special Task Force, Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) has returned Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their former community of Jong, in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.

Daily Trust Saturday reports that the OPSH, a multi-security task force maintaining peace and harmony in Plateau, Bauchi and Kaduna states, returned the persons, who were displaced from their ancestral land in 2015 when their community was attacked.

Speaking at the event, the OPSH Commander and General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Division Nigerian Army, Major General Ibrahim Ali, said the return of the IDPs to their original home was a model for other displaced persons to consider while promising to provide the needed support for the people.

He announced the deployment of armed personnel to protect Jong and other neighbouring communities from any external aggression and threats.  

In a statement made available to journalists in Jos, the army general said strong security measures have been put in place to ensure no community within the OPSH Joint Operations Area was attacked or displaced again.

He commended the efforts of the 36-man peace committee set up to recommend modalities to achieve reconciliation between warring tribes/communities and the board constituted for the safe return of IDPs to their original homes. 

In his goodwill message, the senator representing Plateau North in the National Assembly and Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on Defence, Senator Istifanus Gyang, commended the roles OPSH commander played in facilitating the return of peace to troubled communities in the state.