FOR PEACE ON THE PLATEAU
It takes eyes and boots on the ground to see. Sometimes, too, ears have to be put on the ground to hear.
Timothy Daluk is a Chiarman of the Christian Association of Nigeria. Not for the entire country. That honour belongs to Daniel Okoh.
Not even for his entire state, Plateau. Polycarp Lubo is. But of Mangu, currently and easily the most troubled of Nigeria’s 774 local governments.
Mangu, the ancestral home of the Mwaghavul people, was largely peaceful. Until the seismic dispatch of the APC-led government and candidate by Caleb Mutfwang.
In the election of March 18, 2024, Plateau voters unanimously voted for Caleb Mutfwang of the Peoples Democratic Party. A Native of Mangu.
Since Mutfwang won, Mangu has known no peace. His victory has produced a lethal marriage of politics to terrorism which is quickly cutting down his people.
Mutfwang’s confirmation by the Supreme Court on January 12 further marked his people for death.
Thirty people were killed in fresh attacks on January 24. Houses, churches, and mosques razed.
It was when Daluk launched his attack on the Nigerian Army. In the viral video, he accuses them of complicity and even collusion in the killings. The Defence Headquarters has reacted by inviting Daluk for questioning. CAN in Plateau State has said it will stand by one of its own in what is clearly shaping up to be a tussle between the collar and the khaki.
But Daluk should know. He should know what he is talking about. He is from Mangu and he is in Mangu. He is a leader in Mangu. The beleaguered people of Mangu clearly come to rest their battered heads on his shoulders. So when he speaks, he has to be taken seriously.
Rather than look for Daluk who has made it clear he will not honour the Army’s invitation, the Defence Headquarters should look at its own. The Nigerian army should examine its ranks. It is not the first time it has been accused of complicity while intervening in a crisis.
It Is also not the first time people who have no reason to lie have laid such weighty allegations at its doorsteps.
The few soldiers indicted by Daluk’s revelation may not represent the Nigerian Army. Many people appreciate soldiers for their sacrifices in a country which has become impossibly assailed by terrorists. But among roses are a few, sharp thorns. They must now be identified. And removed.
This will prove difficult. It will require a degree of self-scrutiny the army is not used to. It will take drastic action to find lasting peace in Plateau State.
The insecurity has been resilient and relentless. Only transparency can crack it at this point. Daluk is not the enemy. Neither is the Nigerian army. The enemy is those who move only at night, decapitating children, and burning houses.
The real enemies are those who occupy abandoned ancestral lands. They are the ones that deserve to be fought to a standstill. The Nigerian army must immediately commission an audit of all soldiers. Especially the soldiers who go to the front lines. They must be seen to stand with Nigerians and no other. For peace and unity
Professionalism and prudence demand that this is done immediately. All cannot be fair in war with what is happening in Plateau State. For peace to become a reality, all those who work for peace must be above board.
Soldiers in conflict situations are also peacekeepers and makers. To keep peace, professionalism, restraint, and a strong sense of justice are invaluable. The chaos in Mangu Local Government Area in is rather regrettable. It appears that the governor’s kinsmen are paying a price for producing the state governor. Timothy Daluk’s outburst could have been more measured. But a leader in his situation is a leader under back-breaking pressure.
He is a leader in a local government tormented by insecurity since Caleb Mutfwang emerged as governor. He has seen what no eye should see and heard what no ear should hear.
He Is entitled to an outburst. Here and there. He will even be forgiven if he becomes a temporary alarmist.
The insecurity in Plateau State deserves to be addressed once and for all. Finding lasting peace in the ‘Home of peace and tourism’ has taken unjustifiably long.
Peace is everyone’s cup of tea in Plateau State. Especially in Mangu. Soldiers, religious leaders and ordinary citizens all have their roles to play.
Ike Willie-Nwobu,
