Again on the 30th April, 2021, suspected Fulani militias are reported to have attacked and also set Internally Displaced Persons-IDPs of Sopp on another run after long years of displacement from Kak village of Sopp Community of Riyom Local Government Area in Plateau State sometime in 2021. As a result, 7 of the IDPs sustained varying degree of injuries while hundreds of others took to their heels and escaped back to the community headquarters.
According to one of the victims on admission in the hospital, “After our long displacement in 2012 to-date, we went to clear our farmlands preparatory for the forth coming farming season that is about setting in, a group of organized Fulani youths of over 50 in number emerged from a nearby stream and attacked us, asking that what are we doing here since the had already grabbed our homestead in Kak village years back. All I could remember is that 4 of the militias fiercely stormed on me with while others spread themselves against other natives who were crying out for help but non could come for our rescue. ..I was battered on my head and also sustained fracture on my left hand,” Mr. Joshua Choji narrated.
Perplexingly, the attackers having inflicted grievous injuries using sharp cutlasses, knives sticks and other dangerous weapons, they “threatened us not to step our feet on those lands again what brought us back again as the present administration is theirs and they can do anything unthinkable and no one can dare them” Joshua added? He aslo said, “among those that attacked us are new faces but I was able to recognize one Ibrahim Mairiga whose presence in Sopp axis is not up to 3 years. They brandish their weapons saying that we should never think of coming here to cultivate any of the farms. That the farms have been acquired by way of conquest since and so, we should hand off from any claim” haughtily claiming forceful acquisition of land in this 21st century.
Other victims are-
(1) Da John Makama
(2) Danladi Dazam
(3) Chuwang Kara
(4) Alpha Yakubu
(5) Daniel Danbwarang
(6) Ibrahim Jatau
In another response from former PYC Chairman of Riyom Local Government Area, Comrade Solomon Pam said, “People of Kak of Sopp Community, in Riyom LGA of Plateau State went to clear their farms to get ready for the year’s farming but unfortunately, they were attacked by Fulani militias while working on their farms.
Seven (7) people were serious injured which they are currently receiving treatment at VOM Christian Hospita.One of the victims, Da. John Makama (a.k.a. BABA GAD) was referred from VOM Christian Hospital to Jos University Teaching Hospital-JUTH due to the critical nature of his condition,”
When we reach out to the security, particularly OPSH/STF and the Police, they came to the scene of the incident and they were able to arrest two (2) Fulani Herdsmen and took them to their sector in Hoss.
Surprisingly, some of our youths that were asked to follow them so they can narrate exactly how the incident occurred were later on detained overnight until this evening when they were released even though our traditional ruler is among those detained when they went to follow-up, but he was released in the evening of yesterday after 5 hours of the detention at STF Base in Hoss,” he said.
Those detained are-
(1) Prince Clement Pam (Acting Traditional Ruler of Sopp Community) was detained at about 1:00pm and later released around 6:30pm of yesterday, 30th April, 2021.
(2) Mr. Pam Makeri (a member of Neighborhood Watch/ Community Police)
(3) Mr. Labi Danjuma ( A ward Head)
(4) Mr. Samuel Badung ( A vigilante).
In another related development, suspected Fulani militias attacked and killed one Mr. Emmanuel Joshua, 32 years, a native of Ta-Hoss Community of Riyom Local Government Area just some a kilometer or thereabout away from where IDPs of Kak were attacked, leaving behind his wife, Mrs Sarah Emmanuel and a little baby as well as aged parents.
In an interview, youth leader of Tahoss, Mr. Irmiya James narrated that “at about 3:0Hossof 30th April. 2021, we received a distress call that one of our youth has just been harked dead by some persons suspected to be Fulani along Tahoss-Ganawuri Road. On getting to the scene, pm found Mr. Emmanuel Joshua in a pool of blood and his motorcycle carted away by the assailants,” after which the corpse was evacuated to the mortuary until burial arrangement is concluded.
In the same vein, native inhabitants of Tarai village of Jol Community in Riyom LGA were attack using stones. According to anonymous local source, “it’s very sad after atrocities of Fulani militias in our land, and in spite repeated càution and warnings against grazing into homesteads, Cows have continued to be grazed into our houses and whenever we resist that, attacks or invasion would be visited on us just like it happened yesterday. They us threatened to attack us using stones again with no reason known to us,” the expresses and calls on Government, especially security agents to rise up to the occasion now that raining season is setting in for agricultural activities.
By:
Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, Esq.
Emancipation Centre for Crisis Victims in Nigeria (ECCVN)
