Plateau: How to avoid recurring crises – CSOs, others

Violence broke out again on Tuesday and Wednesday in Mangu, headquarters of Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, barely a month after the Christmas eve attack on some communities that left more than 100 people dead.   The latest two-day orgy left more than 30 people dead, several injured while properties worth millions of naira […]

Violence broke out again on Tuesday and Wednesday in Mangu, headquarters of Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, barely a month after the Christmas eve attack on some communities that left more than 100 people dead. 

 The latest two-day orgy left more than 30 people dead, several injured while properties worth millions of naira were also destroyed. 

The renewed violence followed accusations and counter-accusations of killings, farm destruction and cattle rustling between farming and herding Fulani communities. While the farming communities accuse the herders of every attack and destruction of their farms, the herders accuse the farming communities of cattle rustling and attacks on their members. However, both warring parties deny allegations against their members. 

Soon after the Christmas eve attacks, both state and federal governments seemed to have shown commitment to preventing further escalation of the attacks during visits by officials to the affected communities. 

However, despite the said commitments and promises by the authorities, residents of the affected communities are complaining about the inadequate presence of security personnel in their communities to prevent attacks and the escalation of killings. 

They said farmers can no longer go to the farms, and herders can also not rear their cattle. This is in contrast to the past when both farmers and herders engaged in various businesses and even intermarried; now each group only moves within its comfort zone. 

Members of the Fulani community were worried at the escalation of attacks targeted at their members which they claimed to be reprisals for the Christmas eve attacks. 

A coalition of the Fulani groups in the state said it reported eight consecutive targeted killings of their members to Operation Safe Haven, a security taskforce maintaining peace in Bokkos general area from January. 

Garba Abdullahi, chairman of Gan Allah Fulani Development Association of Nigeria (GAFDAN), told Daily Trust that one Malam Muhammad Sani Idris, the Chief Imam of Ndun village of Tangur District of Bokkos was killed on January 1, while on his way to collect some of his belongings left after the attacks in their communities. 

“On January 2nd, Muhammad Gambo, an Okada rider was killed near a market inside Bokkos while he was conveying a passenger to the area, and Nuhu Adam, another herder, was killed on January 3rd, also in Bokkos District while he was returning from the farm. 

“All these incidents were reported to the Operation Safe Haven and I am sure they are in their records because the corpses of the deceased were recovered alongside the personnel of the operation,” the chairman added. 

Governments, security agencies must wake up to the occasion – CSOs 

Peace and civil society groups have expressed concern over the current events in the communities of Bokkos, stating that such enmity and disunity could jeopardize the current security efforts to restore peace in the general areas of Bokkos. 

Gad Peter, the Executive Director, Cleen Foundation, a civil society organization in Jos, said the government needed to be just for everyone. 

“Where you have this kind of situation, government needs to reach out to all stakeholders including traditional rulers, youth leaders, women and opinion leaders to build trust.  

“Government needs to provide leadership across board and reinforce security where security needs to be reinforced, and ensure that they don’t allow this kind of violence to degenerate or people take laws into their hands.

“The problem we have been having in the state is this issue of reprisal killings and that is why the crisis refuses to go. And reprisal killings come to be when there is no justice. 

“So, government should ensure justice for everybody. Government should ensure equity and most importantly, government should reach out to people and build trust. There is nothing that dialogue cannot do. In a place where there is dialogue and people trust each other, peace can be restored,” Peter said. 

Malam Sani Suleiman, Acting Chief of Party, Community Initiatives to Promote Peace (CIPP), noted that the state had experienced some years of relative peace as a result of the heavy investment on the peace process by government, non-governmental and security organisations. 

He said: “The resurgence of violence in Bokkos can be attributed to a failure to holistically address both the proximate and distant systemic and structural causes of the conflict. It is also crucial to continually and deliberately address the main drivers of the conflict.

“These drivers encompass impunity, crime and criminality, trauma (including transgenerational trauma), distrust and lack of forgiveness among communities that have coexisted for an extended period. 

“The situation has become complex with intertwined issues that include resources based, social, ecological, political and identity issues.”  

Malam Suleiman, however, said to address the situation and ensure sustainable peace, the government must employ both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches.  

“Government and security agencies must be firm and fairly seen to be active in addressing crime and criminality by ensuring that perpetrators of whatever must be made to face justice. Religious leaders, institutions and ethnic leaders must call a spade a spade. No one should be allowed to hide under the guise of religion or tribe to achieve surreptitious objectives; as well as intensify efforts in promoting reconciliation. 

“Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), including negotiation, mediation and dialogue at community and institution levels should be encouraged and strengthened by all stakeholders. Community members across the divides must resist all attempts to hijack the narratives and polarization by some individuals and groups of elite, ” Suleiman added. 

Arrest of traditional, group leaders could stop violence – Farming communities  

A member of Mandarken Development Association in Bokkos, Zakariya Ibrahim, said failure to arrest traditional and group leaders is contributing significantly to the lingering crisis in the communities.

“The government must bring both traditional and group leaders together to warn them of the need to live in peace. Traditional and community leaders must be informed that they will be held responsible for whatever happens in their domains. If this is done, there will be peace.  

“The deafening silence in the face of wrongdoing allows impunity to thrive, creating a breeding ground for conflict to persist. So, the leaders of the Fulani and farming communities must be held to account for what is happening in their areas,” he added. 

Justice is the only way out – MACBAN 

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in the state said for peace to be attained, government at all levels must ensure justice between the parties involved. 

“The absence of justice is casting ominous shadows on the very fabric of our communities. It has become evident that justice is not merely a concept but a cornerstone of societal harmony. Without its firm presence, trust erodes, and grievances fester, leaving scars on the collective soul of Bokkos. 

“To address the crisis at its core, it is imperative to recognise the vital role that justice plays in fostering unity and resolving disputes. In the pursuit of lasting peace, let justice prevail, for only then can the seeds of harmony be sown, and the echoes of crisis silenced in the embrace of a just and equitable society,” he added. 

Government is doing everything possible to address the problem – PPBA  

The Plateau State Peace Building Agency (PPBA), said the state government is working round the clock to bring an end to the crisis bedevilling communities of Bokkos and other areas experiencing similar challenges. 

While responding to the issue, the Director of Administration of the PPBA, ‎Elkannah Izam‎, said the recent security challenges experienced had taken the state back despite the concerted efforts put in place to achieve peace in the state. 

“Government has been trying to do a lot to safeguard communities. Part of the efforts to prevent such ugly attacks is the recent engagement of the 600 neighbourhood watch by the state government. The members of the group would be deployed to different communities of the various LGAs to help in information gathering and synergize with security agencies to tackle criminalities. This would go a long way in ensuring peaceful atmosphere among the communities. 

“So, at the level of Peace Building Agency, we will continue to engage with communities, the traditional rulers and religious leaders to understand the issues that are causing the violence. We are working with peace structures within the communities which serve as early warning signals. So, we will strengthen those structures and also work with security agencies to achieve the desired goal.’’