Governors of Benue and Plateau states, Hyacinth Alia and Caleb Mutfwang, yesterday raised alarm over the siege laid by killer herdsmen and bandits to their states, asking the Federal Government to urgently intervene to stop unending killings in their domains.
While Governor Alia said armed herders had laid siege to his state, his counterpart in Plateau, Mutfwang, said bandits had taken over all the grazing reserves and forests in his state, killing his people.
Recall that both states have, in the last one month, lost close to 300 persons, killed by killer herders and bandits, with property worth billions of naira destroyed.
These came on a day Jigawa State governor, Umar Namadi, in apparent response to the call by former Defence Minister, Lt.General Theophilus, Danjuma, retd, on Nigerians to defend themselves against bandits, said such call will lead to anarchy.
While the death toll in last Thursday and Friday’s attacks in Ukum and Logo Local Government Areas, LGAs, of Benue State has risen to 72, angry Christian leaders and other faithful yesterday stormed Plateau State’s Government House, demanding an immediate end to the senseless killings of innocent citizens by suspected Fulani bandits.
The attack on the two LGAs came a few days after similar attacks on Ikobi, Asa 2, Otobi-Akpa, Emichi, Okpomaju and Odudaje communities in Otukpo LGA which claimed about 30 lives, with many sustaining severe injuries, while several properties were also burnt by the rampaging herders.
Besides, communities in Kwande LGA also came under sustained attacks by the marauders who daily kill locals and take over the communities unrestrained.
Speaking while giving an update on the attacks, Governor Alia urged the Federal Government to step into the situation and end the activities of the killer herders in the state.
He said: “Last night, we got wind again that three dead bodies were recovered from Katsina-Ala axis of the state, which means that the entire space out there is under siege again.
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“We are under siege as a state, we are under attack, and those who are attacking us must have a face, must have an aim, and must have a drive. They come, they drag people out, they kill to occupy. This is extremely unacceptable.
“Barely three weeks ago, we had attacks in Otukpo, Benue South District, 13 dead bodies were recovered from that attack.
“This is a siege, barely one and half months ago, we did not have it easy to repel the terrorists in Kwande axis. So if this is not a siege, what is it?
“The Federal Government must up its game in our support and in fighting this insurgency. It is targeted, I mean it is planned and is religiously being executed.
“They are terrorists, period. We strongly believe that their aim is to grab land. A terrorist is a terrorist, irrespective of his ethnicity or his religion. Criminality is criminality, period.”
The governor appealed for support, assuring of his determination to end insecurity in the five worst hit LGAs of the state within the shortest possible time.
He also advised the people of the state to always avail security agencies information that can help them act decisively to tackle any form of insecurity in their communities.
“If you hear something, say something, it will enable the security agents to move out there and repel the invaders,’’ Governor Alia said.
Bandits take over state’s grazing reserve, forests
Meanwhile, Governor Caleb Mutfwang at a stakeholders’ meeting at Government House in Jos yesterday, raised the alarm that bandits had taken over grazing reserves and forests in the state, killing people and destroying properties.
The governor, who noted that almost all the 17 LGAs in the state are plagued by insecurity, told the stakeholders, comprising ethnic, political, and religious leaders, said: “You are aware of the events of the last three weeks, which have once again pushed our state to the front burner of national discourse, unfortunately for the wrong reasons.
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“Two days after being sworn-in, I convened a security council meeting. We engaged in a lot of discussions with communities and their leaders. Things calmed down until we woke up to a ruthless attack on 2023 Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and into Boxing Day in Bokkos that claimed not less than 150 lives in one fell swoop.
“From January 2024 till February 2025, even though there were sporadic incidents here and there, we did not experience anything close to the magnitude of what has recently occurred, first in a community called Ruwi in Bokkos, and then it spread to other parts.
“Just over 10 days ago, it extended into Bassa Local Government Area. At the last count, we have probably lost well over 100 people.
“In Bassa, I’m told the community documented all the attacks and deaths that took place from 2015 to date. Many would be shocked to learn that nearly 3,000 people were lost, particularly in the Miango axis.
“There is no senatorial zone in this state that is without its share of conflict. In Wase, for instance, a grazing reserve was developed as far back as the days of Northern Nigeria, that area has been inaccessible.
“Kanam has also come under siege. The intelligence we are getting from Pandam (Qua’an Pan LGA) is very disturbing; it has become a haven for kidnappers and a sort of stock exchange for ransom transactions. Many of the kidnappings that took place in Shendam have also been linked to Pandam.
“Bokkos and Mangu have been severely hit, particularly in the last two years. The crisis has even spread into Pankshin. Kanke is not spared either, reports of kidnappings there are becoming alarming.
“In the northern none, perhaps the only local government that might appear relatively calm is Jos North. But that does not mean Jos North has been spared. One of the most dangerous cultic groups, Sarasuka, operates there, and we have been trying to tackle them. That cult group has taken many lives.
“Border communities in Jos South have come under tremendous siege recently, not to mention Riyom and Barkin Ladi that have experienced long-term instability. In essence, Plateau is under siege. Why us? Who is behind this? Where are they coming from? Who is sponsoring them? What is their aim?
“We must rise together and ensure that this blessed land God gave us is preserved and that we maximize the blessings embedded in it. While I am open to suggestions, because I don’t possess a monopoly of wisdom, I also believe we have a duty to speak up.
“When I came on board, the dominant narrative at national and international levels was that Plateau is suffering from a clash between farmers and herders. I ask you, sir, is that true?
“How can bandits occupy the Wase grazing reserve, and someone calls that a clash?
‘’How can they be in forests in Kanam, and someone says it is a clash? When it happened in December 2023 in Bokkos, when gunmen attacked defenceless communities with sophisticated weapons on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, what clash was that?
“Isn’t it time we all unite to reject this falsehood? I look forward to the day when, regardless of religion or ethnicity, any of us is attacked and we all speak with one voice, saying: what is happening on the Plateau is nothing short of genocide perpetrated by terrorists.”
Mufwang lamented that many advisers might want to “mislead President Bola Tinubu into believing we are the aggressors, or that we are intolerant but we must come together. This is the time to hold one another’s hands, not throw each other under the bus.”