The Plateau Youth Council (PYC), Northern Zone, has alleged that the recent attacks on communities in Riyom, Bassa, and Bokkos Local Government Areas are part of a deliberate plan to instill fear in local farmers and seize their ancestral lands.
The youth group raised the alarm over what it described as a coordinated pattern of violent attacks on rural communities, coinciding with the beginning of the rainy season.
Addressing journalists on Saturday at the NUJ Press Centre in Jos, the PYC Northern Zone Coordinator, Samson Chiroma, said the timing of the attacks suggests a deliberate effort to displace indigenous farmers and plunge affected communities into economic hardship.
He stated, “The attack in Bassa lasted over an hour and a half, from 12:00 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., during which over 51 people were killed. In Riyom, two more lives were lost shortly after.
“Why do these attacks always occur just as the wet season begins? Is it not an attempt to prevent our people from farming and drive them into economic misery?
“Our people are known for farming, and no amount of violence will deter us from cultivating our land. Those who think they can intimidate us into abandoning our ancestral lands have already failed.”
Chiroma accused armed Fulani militias of orchestrating the latest attacks, rejecting the federal government’s characterization of the violence as communal clashes. He described the killings as acts of genocide.
“This is not a communal clash, as the presidency wants Nigerians to believe. What we are witnessing is a deliberate and sustained campaign to wipe out entire communities under the cover of darkness.
“It is shameful and misleading to reduce this orchestrated bloodbath to mere community misunderstandings. That statement is not only false but an insult to the memory of those who were brutally murdered.”
The youth leader expressed full support for Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s recent broadcast, saying the governor’s message reflected the mood and pain of Plateau citizens.
“The governor spoke the minds of Plateau youths. We are ready to use all legal means to seek justice for our people. We will no longer fold our arms and watch our brothers and sisters slaughtered without provocation.
“Garba said peace will continue to elude Plateau until certain conditions are met. Just days after, our people were attacked. Is that a coincidence?
“If the authorities are serious about ending these killings, they must start by questioning those who make inciting statements. Otherwise, it will appear that some people are above the law.”
The Plateau Youth Council called on the federal government to intensify efforts to identify and prosecute those behind the killings.
Chiroma also urged the Plateau State Government to strengthen Operation Rainbow by recruiting additional personnel and equipping them with modern tools to complement conventional security agencies.
He commended the affected communities for their composure in the face of repeated attacks but warned that their patience was wearing thin.
“We are peace-loving people, but our peaceful nature must not be mistaken for weakness. We are reaching a point where our patience may run out.
“This is our final warning. If another attack happens in our communities, the youths should not be blamed for the outcome,” he cautioned.
