Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Plateau State, Rev Polycarp Lubo, talks to JAMES ABRAHAM about the recent attack in the Mangu Local Government Area of the state that reportedly claimed the lives of 300 persons and how incessant attacks by bandits have affected Christians in the state
There has been a resurgence of killings in Plateau State despite the assurance the new administration to address the menace. How worried is the Christian body about this?
The situation is worrisome because no right-thinking human being wants to see people being killed, farmlands being destroyed, villages being sacked, and people being forced to move into internally displaced persons camps. People can’t go to their farms or move about freely and be happy, particularly in the Mangu Local Government Area, which is predominantly an agrarian suburb. So, the situation is worrisome and it is inhumanity to mankind. Yes, there may be remote causes, but it shouldn’t have been allowed to escalate to that level. So, it bothers me. The people are worried; no right-thinking person will tell you that they are not worried about what is happening in Plateau State, given the present situation.
It is frustrating that you want peace but it is not coming. The day you think you have restored peace is the day the attacks and killings recur. The killings happened during the administrations of former governors Joshua Dariye, Jonah Jang and Simon Lalong. They served all their tenures struggling and working to bring peace, but peace remained elusive. Now, it is happening in the administration of Governor Caleb Mutfwang. That is the situation and it is something to worry about.
Many residents accused the Fulani of being responsible for the attacks and killings in Plateau communities but the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association denied the claims. How will you react to that?
Practically, nobody wants to be associated with that kind of thing or tagged a killer of people. We have had Boko Haram, unknown gunmen, and so on. What we have discovered is that they (the perpetrators) are people essentially hired to kill, but the real Fulani that I know and that have been living with us, cannot even take a stick and hit you. They will rather hire people to repay you for whatever they feel you have done to them. And again, a typical Fulani man cannot just do that. Something might have happened to warrant taking that ignoble path. It’s either their cattle might have been killed or there is an issue about farmland that may have been given to the owners by their forefathers. People say most of the people perpetrating the killings are Fulani from different areas like Mali, Chad, Niger, and so on.
What do you think distinguishes them from others?
Most of them can’t speak the common Hausa, which the Fulani who live with us are familiar with; instead, they speak French. If you see the systematic way they carry out the murders, it is the same way you will find in all the places and communities they go to kill innocent people. If you see the massive destruction of lives and property, you will know that they are professionals hired to do what they are doing. It is worrisome because you don’t know where they gather in thousands to perpetrate their evil act. When they enter farmland, even 100 persons cannot destroy what they can do within just an hour. The speed with which they can just destroy many hectares at once is amazing. When they enter a community, they can sack up to 20 to 30 villages within two days, leaving everything in ruins. However, I don’t like a situation where the Fulani will be accused of being responsible. Let the authorities go and fish out the criminals, but it is difficult to absolve them (Fulani) at the same time.
Let me give you an example. Something happened a few days ago at the Heipang community in the Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of the state, just at the roundabout very close to the airport. Some people came to attack the community and the residents resisted the attack. In the process, one of the attackers was killed and he was a known Fulani man. He must have been the person telling the attackers what to do and what not to do. So, these are the issues. Why won’t they (the victims) accuse them (Fulani) of being behind the series of attacks and killings that have been going on in Plateau communities? Everywhere you go, people say that Fulani are responsible (for the attacks). If everything points towards one direction and you follow it, you will find the truth and that truth is that the Fulani are responsible for the problems. Even if they don’t do it directly, they do it indirectly. Why is it that the Fulani are allowed to rear their cattle with guns? We used to know them as people who reared cattle with sticks. Why guns now?
Do you think Christians have been the targets of the attacks?
Let me tell you. Christians now are also on red alert. The killings have just become nothing ,because they have seen their people being killed, a whole family being wiped out and nothing is being done to stop the perpetrators. We can’t even talk to them again. We have left them to find a way of surviving since the security agents cannot help and stop those who come to kill them. So, if you say a Christian kills, they can’t do that unless you push them to the wall. The only thing now is that they are reacting to the continuous onslaught against them. If not, where will a native Christian get a gun? To do what? Who will give him N600,000 or N1m to go and buy a gun? How many hectares of land will he farm to be able to afford one AK-47 rifle, which costs over N1m? With the situation on the ground, if the Christians have their way, I can tell you that they will also kill because they have gone into self-defence mode, and we encourage that. But we also tell them not to take the law into their own hands. In a situation where they cannot help themselves and they know that they are going to be killed, they should find a way to survive and if they don’t do something about it, they should know that they are going to hell because that is pure suicide. So, as it is, people are ready to kill if they are going to be killed.
Which local government areas do you think have been most affected?
I don’t know how to allocate the proportion but I know that Bassa has suffered greatly. Barkin Ladi and Bokkos have all suffered too much in the hands of the killers. That of Mangu was so much that within a short time, over 30 villages were sacked and over 300 people lost their lives. It is so devastating what is happening in those areas. The killing in Mangu is different because while other local government areas recorded five, 10, 15, or 20 deaths, the attack in Mangu claimed over 300 lives at once. You can imagine the terrible situation. Mangu is a Christian-dominated area in Plateau State. Mind you, there are a lot of Muslims in Mangu town. The population of Muslims in Mangu is about 10 to 20 per cent, but because they are always in clusters, many think they are more than that but they are not.
From reports received by CAN, how many Christians have been killed in Plateau since the beginning of the year?
If you are talking about Mangu, Bokkos and the rest, the people that have been killed within the past few months are over 1,500. In Mangu alone, over 500 people have been killed in the period under review because they are the worst hit.
What steps has CAN taken to draw the attention of the state government and security agencies to the killings?
We are not relenting in our efforts as CAN. I am not a security expert but all I know is that a lot of calls come to me and I call the government of the day and tell them what is going on. I also call the special task force commander and tell them this is what is going on. The governor went to the army headquarters and laid the complaints about the carnage going on in Plateau communities. Now, there are soldiers in Mangu and they are doing well. With the establishment of a new military operation, the situation has been brought under control but the tension is still there.
We’ve tried to call our people and ask them to forgive, but when you talk about forgiveness they just look at you wondering if you don’t know what they are going through. When you tell them to forgive, they accuse you of being a collaborator. So, we are very careful. All we need to tell them is to continue to pray so that God will bring the ugly situation to an end. It’s really a difficult situation we the leaders are facing. Just imagine telling a man whose children and wife have been murdered to just try and forgive the perpetrators. He won’t mind killing you there. So we are just praying that God will bring the perpetrators to justice.
How will you describe the attitude of the Federal Government to the killings? Do you think it’s sincere about ending the killings and prosecuting the perpetrators?
We thank God that we have a change of government with a new leader. The previous one was like a collaboration between the government of the day and the kidnappers and those who are into these wanton killings in Plateau and other parts of the country. But now, we have a new government and that is why you see that there is swift action being taken against what is happening in Mangu. So, I will say that the President, Bola Tinubu, is doing well.
Are there really signs that the Tinubu government will address the killings in Plateau?
Yes, I am sure. I believe in that seriously. I believe in Tinubu’s government because he knows the problems of the state. He knows the problems in this country, so I believe he will make some changes. And you can see the fairness in the appointment of the service chiefs.
What are the other major challenges facing the people in the state?
The challenges are enormous but the most important thing is that we want peace. Let people lay down their arms and let the military take over. The situation is so terrible. Secondly, people in the IDP camps live in a very unhygienic environment. Feeding now is a big problem and we don’t know how we are going to survive next year. So, all these things are challenges that need to be addressed. Palliatives should be made available and the houses that were burnt should be rebuilt. The Federal Government and the governor should be able to help out. They (victims) cannot continue to stay in the IDP camps.
How is CAN assisting the displaced victims?
There are different groups from different places and from different states who have intervened in the situation. Many Christians have been coming from different churches and denominations and donating palliatives. As CAN with the denominational heads, we visited them and gave them what we could give.
The solution is to make people aware that we are all human beings and that there is a need for us to respect one another, irrespective of where we come from. We need to live in peace with one another. There is a need for us, as Christians and Muslims, to join hands together and put a stop to this thing (killings) by having dialogue and settling the issues once and for all.
