In spite of early warning signals from intelligence reliably gathered and circulated to relevant authorities concerned so as to curtail the impending onslaughts on native villages and Communities of Plateau State, conspiracy of silence evidently appears to have been given credence either by nonresponse or late response of security agents which has invariably exposed the villages and Communities to all sort of armed invasions as well as other associated terror activities.
Information sourced out during on the spot assessment to ascertain the the situation reveals that, 7 persons of Irigwe ethnic extraction are said to have been shot dead and many others injured while over 250 houses razed down, valuables and livestock carted away by the attackers suspected to be armed Fulani militias during a heavy armed invasion carried out in the last night of 31st July, 2021. The National Publicity Secretary of Irigwe Development Association, Mr. Davison Malison narrates that, “I am in pain and quite saddened by the development that actually engulfs my community last night, been 31st July, 2021 when Fulani militias posed threat and attempted attacking us in the morning,” but were repelled by security (Police and Mobile Police) on ground. After a while, the attackers reinforced, remobilized and revisited 5 villages of Kpwachudu Community where 7 persons have so far been confirmed dead.
It’s further gathered that the 2nd attack was meted out at about 7:00pm after the Fulani jihadists had reinforced in more than 500, and it lasted for over 4 hours with no intervention of the military despite being called many times, said Mr. Davison. The unimaginable part of it is that, “this Community is bordered with 3rd Army Division…….yet nothing was done to forestall or avert the invasion,” except the effort made by security agents on ground who tried their best but couldn’t contend with the heavy the militias who outnumbered them as locally sourced.
On the present state of the villagers, Davison responds that, “the whole Community has been ransacked, thereby compelling a high displacement of the inhabitants.” He also cries out about how deserted the area has become, “this is a community of over 7000 people but has been reduced to just a few persons.” He added that, “we now don’t know where to go, what to do. We don’t have any means to source for help to defend our land” as the inheritance of the Irigwe which forms part of their means of livelihood, that is farming has now become suicidal and waste of energy as well as resources since it would be destroyed at the end of all toiling.
As at the time of filing this report, another sad incident has been attributed to Fulani jihadists who invaded Wereng-Camp of Riyom LGA. As a result, 3 persons have been reportedly shot dead while 2 gravely injured in an attack unleashed at about 5:00pm of today, 1st August, 2021.
Similarly, Kwi Community of Riyom is reported to have been attacked by another group of Fulani militias at about 7:21pm, but was repelled.
The continued terror invasions by armed Fulani militias have unavoidably inflicted unimaginable hardships on the Victims who are currently in dire need of humanitarian aid as well as trauma counselling in order to get out of the dislocation of the socio-economic state of life they have been plunged into.
ECCVN is heartily appealing to the authorities concerned for more deployment of Mobile Police across the distressed villages. This would largely raise a ray of hope thereby calming fear of attacks in the minds of the Irigwe ethnic extraction.
By:
Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, Esq
Emancipation Centre for Crisis Victims in Nigeria-ECCVN
