More residents in Plateau State have lost their lives following sustained attacks by gunmen in some communities in the past six months.
However, in spite of this heavy loss, the military said it is committed to achieving lasting peace in the state.
Arewa PUNCH had reported that no fewer than 346 persons were killed in eight local government areas of the state between April 17 and July 10, 2023, while about 18,751 Internally Displaced Persons were recorded in 14 camps.
More findings by Arewa PUNCH on Tuesday revealed that no fewer than 75 additional persons have so far died in the unabating violent attacks on the Plateau between July 10, 2023, till date, thus bringing the total number of people killed in the past six months to 421.
Our investigation revealed further that the attacks leading to the deaths of the 75 latest victims occurred in different communities from six Local Government Areas of the state including Jos South, Mangu, Riyom, Bassa, Barkin Ladi, and Jos East
A breakdown of the attacks showed that while Mangu topped the list with 31 killings, Jos East recorded two killings.
Others were – Jos South, 8; Barkin Ladi, 22; Riyom, 4 and Bassa 8.
It was learnt that operatives of the Military Taskforce in charge of maintaining the peace and the state Police Command have intensified efforts to engage the farmers and herders in dialogue in the bid to stop the attacks in the communities and restore lasting peace.
Checks further indicated that the latest of such attacks was the killing of eight persons, which occurred at the Adu village in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State on October 1, 2023.
Earlier, on September 28, three farmers were confirmed dead after gunmen attacked them while working on their different farms in Panyam community, Mangu Local Government Area of the state
Barely three days after, a Fulani leader in the same locality, Adamu Gabdo, was killed by some yet to identified assailants, who dumped his corpse in the bush.
Again, gunmen suspected to be bandits, on September 11, attacked the Kulben community in Mangu LGA, killing 10 persons in the raid.
In Riyom LGA, gunmen attacked a secondary school in the Kwi community on August 14 and killed two teachers.
On Friday, August 11, bandits, yet again, attacked traders returning from a market in Barkin Ladi and killed two persons
Two days before that particular attack, the state Police Command had confirmed that 20 persons were killed in two separate attacks by gunmen in the Barkin Ladi community.
Also, on Monday, August 7, one person was confirmed dead after gunmen attacked some traders in the same Barkin Ladi community.
On the same day, gunmen killed five people in Mangu LGA, among whom were a couple and two children of a clergyman identified as Reverend Sati
On July 31, gunmen abducted some residents in the Angware community in Jos East LGA and killed two persons.
On Wednesday, 19 July, a teacher who worked with Bethany Academic was killed by unknown gunmen shortly after closing his shop within the locality.
Most disheartening of the dastardly killings was that of eight persons including an eight-month-old baby who were executed by bandits who attacked the Farin Lamba community in the Jos South LGA of the state on July 10
In an interview with Arewa PUNCH in Jos while speaking on the security situation in Plateau State, a peace advocate and President of the Gideon and Funmi-ParaMallam Peace Foundation, Reverend Gideon Para-mallam noted that although the number of attacks and killings had reduced significantly in the communities, especially in the past three months compared with the previous three months, the Federal Government needed to study the security situation more carefully in the state with a view to adopting the strategy and experience deployed into lowering the trend to end the insecurity challenges confronting the northern region for over a decade now.
He said, “Our Peace Foundation is currently working on a second report in order to do a comparative analysis, review, and make recommendations. However, while we complete our internal checks, what is certain is that the violence, killings, and attacks appear to be going down. But as you observed in your investigation, losing 75 more lives is heartbreaking.
“It’s unfortunate and avoidable. How many more do we want to see die before we come back to our full senses? Violence hardly solves any problems in the long run except to create more complications in the search for sustainable peace.
“The Executive Governor of Plateau State Barr Caleb Muftwang needs to be encouraged and commended in his commitment to finding the peace.
“Likewise, the military leadership, comprising of the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff and General Officer Commanding C/STF Commander need to synergise with the Police and Operation Rainbow to see that there will be no return to violence and these retributive attacks.
When contacted by Arewa PUNCH, the Spokesman for the Military Special Taskforce in Charge of maintaining the peace in Plateau, Captain Oya James, vowed that the officers and men of the task force would leave no stone unturned until the peace objectives were achieved in the state.
He insisted that the attacks and killings were not religious or tribal but were being perpetrated by those he described as criminal elements in the society
James pointed out, “It will interest you to know that every week, the minimum number of suspected criminals we arrest are always in the neighbourhood of 40.
“This week alone, about 75 of them were arrested, and several others were neutralised. This figure includes those who are involved in farmland destruction. When they reduce, definitely, there will be a reduction in the crime rate in the state.
“So, we have employed both the kinetic and non-kinetic approach in addressing the security challenge in Plateau. Just last week, the GOC and Commander of Operation Safe Haven inaugurated an expanded 55-member peace implementation committee as part of the efforts and I can assure you that we are not relenting in our determination to achieve lasting peace in Plateau State,” James assured.
