Plateau Killings: Church Leaders, CAN Charge Tinubu to Proscribe Armed Fulani Militias

Muslims urge Mutfwang to stop unknown strangers from settling in their communities 

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos

Heads of all churches in Plateau State and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) yesterday condemned the mindless killings in the state on the eve of Christmas celebration, describing it as “unprovoked, wicked, satanic, genocidal, horrific, and reprehensible,” adding that the attacks are about the “deadliest and most devastating on the Plateau.”

This is  just as  Muslims in Plateau State have pledged their support for the state Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, wholeheartedly, as they condemned recent attacks in the state.

The church leaders, among other demands, called on the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to as a matter of urgency “initiate the process of officially proscribing armed Fulani militias,” adding that: “They should be officially designated as terrorists. This will give the military the power to fully engage them as provided in the Terrorism Act of 2022. It is on record that in 2015, the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) named the armed Fulani militias as the fourth deadliest terror group in the world.

 “Nigeria must urgently act and treat them as such while also engaging other West African countries, through ECOWAS, to do the same thing. A regional approach, consensus and action have become extremely imperative to deal with the menace of the Fulani militias.”

Addressing a mammoth crowd of Christians during a solemn Peace Walk in Jos, the Chairman, Denominational Leaders, Rev Stephen Baba Panya, and state Chairman of CAN, Rev Father Polycarp Lubo, said: “The total number of people massacred in cold blood so far is about 160 and still counting, while internally displaced persons (IDPs) are estimated now to be about 15,000; eight churches burnt, and several persons still missing.”

Painting a horrific picture of the mindless manner in which the victims were massacred, Panya added that the timing of these killings on Christmas Eve and during Christmas celebrations has shown that the attackers had clear intentions and objectives, which were to target Christian communities, take them unawares, and inflict maximum casualty on them.

 Commending President Bola Tinubu and the state Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, for their timely intervention in condemning the attacks in its totality and directing security agencies to go after the culprits and bring them to justice, the church leaders noted “with great encouragement and hope that this is a marked departure from the lacklustre response of the presidency and the federal government during similar attacks in the past,” calling on security agencies to align with this new mindset and ensure that the criminals responsible for the heinous attacks are apprehended, prosecuted and brought to justice.

 They further demanded: “We call for timely intervention in the provision of emergency relief in terms of food, water, toiletries, sleeping materials and other such necessities. We appreciate the directive given by President Tinubu to relevant federal government agencies such as NEMA to mobilise and provide succour to the victims.

“We also commend the great effort of Governor Mutfwang in not only condemning the attack, but also taking urgent concrete steps in providing food and other necessities to the displaced survivors in the IDP camps.

 “We unequivocally and emphatically call for an end to these sustained attacks and killings on the Plateau and in Nigeria. We demand immediate justice for the innocent people of Bokkos, Mangu, Riyom, Bassa, Barkin Ladi and other affected communities.”

They added: “We strongly appeal to the federal government to establish the North Central Development Commission (NCDC). This has become necessary following the frequent attacks and wanton destruction of lives and property across the zone in the last decade.

 “We call on the federal government to direct the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to immediately commence the process of rebuilding the destroyed communities pending the establishment of the North Central Development Commission.

 “We also call for the release of all those alleged to have been arrested with legitimate self-defence implements such as cutlasses, clubs, machetes, and the likes in the communities in the aftermath of the attacks.”

 While responding, the governor said: “I have received your petition, and I will be forwarding it to the president, who has shown that he has come as a deliverer. He has assured me on several occasions that he wants to bring an end to this cycle of violence. And I believe him because I have seen him giving marching orders to the heads of the security agencies, and we have seen some attempts by the security agencies to do the needful.”

Meanwhile, Muslims in Plateau State have pledged their support for the state Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, wholeheartedly, as they condemned recent attacks in the state.

Speaking on behalf of the Muslim Ummar, who paid a solidarity visit to the governor, the Emir of Wase, Alhaji Muhammadu Sambo Haruna, said: “I can assure you that the Muslim Ummar in Plateau State are behind you, 99.9 percent even though we may be having one or two bad eggs within us, which is obtainable anywhere.

“Your Excellency, we are your partners in progress, and we call on you to go back to what our forefathers were doing-ensuring that not anybody that comes to our community would just be allowed to settle down among us without knowing much about them.

“I see there are certain things that were done in the past to ensure that the government has control through the local government or traditional institutions; things like the community tax and cattle tax. With this, one will identify where the person is coming from and where he’s going.

“In the past, people didn’t come into our communities anyhow; the prominent chiefs from where they came would give them a letter to the chiefs of the communities they came into.

“We cannot continue to live this way where people are being killed every time, and property destroyed.”

While responding, Mutfwang said: “While some people have tried to malign me and to suggest that I don’t like Muslims, the evidence on ground is contrary, and I want to assure my Muslim brothers from the depth of my heart that I love you and I mean well for you.

“God is the God of justice and fairness. I have never seen rain falling one the house of one man while his neighbour is denied. Have you ever seen it? God allows rain to fall on everybody, and so it will be foolish of me to deny you what belongs to you. There’s no need.

“Within the limits of our resources, we will continue to ensure that we are fair to all. And that is why, despite the challenges we are facing, we know what it means to several of you as Muslims to perform the pilgrimage.

“I want to assure you that with your cooperation, we’ll return Plateau State to what it used to be. Plateau State is a land of peace. And we will fight all those who want to take away that testimony of the peaceful people from us.

“Thank God the emir has permitted me today. All the enemies of peace will not survive on the Plateau. We will join hands together and ensure that those people who do not want us to live in peace, they will not find peace.”