Following intelligence gathered by ECCVN, that armed Fulani militia groups have marked some specific Plateau State communities and villages, including Turu-Farin Lamba Community of Vwang(Vom) District in Jos South LGA, for a possible invasion, Plateau State has been plunged into mourning as suspected Fulani militias, who were spotted moving unrestrained, invaded and attacked a mining site around the Turu general area.
As a result of this armed attack, six people were reportedly killed, while others sustained varying degrees of injuries. The deceased include:
- Ishaya David (25 years)
- Paul Adamu ( 23),
- Bitrus Mancha (43)
- Davou Boyi (40)
- Joseph John (39)
- Timothy Peter (35) According to an anonymous source, “Between 8:30 pm and 9:00 pm of 25th April 2023, “we were peacefully mining here, when unsuspiciously, armed Fulani men stationed themselves in 3 locations and opened gunfire at my colleagues, who were eating. Six of them died instantly, while myself and the other six miraculously escaped,” he said bewildered. This event occurred with no prior provocation. Unsurprisingly, though, our communities have experienced similar attacks by the Fulani, who do not hesitate to kill our people with impunity.
According to sources available to ECCVN, the incident forms part of the onslaught that the peace-loving people of Plateau State and its environs have, in the recent past, been subjected to, giving rise to untimely elimination of innocent lives by militias operating in Plateau Local Government Areas – Mangu, Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, Riyom and Jos South, where more than 20 people were reportedly killed since April, 15th to date.
ECCVN has keenly observed that the onslaughts are not only targeted at maiming lives but have a sizeable economic undertones aimed at crippling the economies of the communities. For instance, in Jol, Kwi, and Wereng communities of Riyom LGA, and Heipang, Gassa, among others in Barkin Ladi LGA, there has been reported massive destructions of farm crops through mischievous grazing and mowing down of crops by the Fulani, both in broad daylight and at night time. These activities point to the Fulani’s deliberate impoverishment mission.
Perplexingly, the scale of the attacks is increasing, with no sign of stopping any time soon.
Recent intelligence from other anonymous sources suggests that assailants have marked six LGAs(Mangu, Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, Riyom, Jos South, and Bassa) for renewed attacks. Unfortunately, these attacks are beginning to play out in the ongoing resurgence, just as the anonymous intelligence suggests.
Given these disturbing developments, ECCVN is passionately appealing to the appropriate authorities and spirited individuals to, as a matter of urgency, consider the following measures:
- Redeployment of security agents to all the affected and potentially targeted villages and communities.
- Provision of relief materials to displaced persons in Bokkos and Mangu LGAs.
- Staging of trauma counseling programs for survivors and dependents of the deceased victims of the attacks.
- Compensation for individuals whose crops were destroyed.
- Restrictions on movements within specific hours (specifically at night) to prevent exposure to incidences of night attacks and late-night grazing.
- Any other measure necessary under the circumstance.
By:
Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, Esq.,
Emancipation Centre for Crisis Victims in Nigeria-ECCV
