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Alex Birbir’s Plateau False Narrative Collapses Under the Weight of Facts

Published

5 months ago

May 11, 2026

Ochuwa Ibrahim

Alex Birbir’s Plateau False Narrative Collapses Under the Weight of Facts

By: Zagazola Makama

Once again, Mr. Alex Birbir, speaking comfortably from outside Nigeria and relying heavily on emotionally charged propaganda supplied by local conflict entrepreneurs, has attempted to distort the realities of the Plateau crisis into a simplistic and dangerous narratives designed for foreign audiences unfamiliar with the actual situation on ground.

His latest podcast is not only riddled with exaggerations, contradictions and outright falsehoods, but also dangerously seeks to demonize Nigerian security forces while justifying armed Berom militia mobilisation under the deceptive banner of “self-defense.”

At the fore of Birbir’s claim is the allegation that Nigerian troops “fought alongside Fulani terrorists” against Berom youths who, according to him, merely wanted to defend their communities after attacks in Barkin Ladi.

But the actual sequence of events completely destroys this narrative. What truly happened on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, was that a large group of armed Berom youths mobilized toward the predominantly Fulani settlement of Jong following the killing of seven locals at Nding Sesut community the previous day.

Security sources confirmed that before the mobilisation, some of the youths allegedly contacted the Army commander in the area and demanded that troops “step aside” so they could carry out a retaliatory raid on Jong community.

That request was refused. Instead of abandoning their constitutional responsibility, troops of Operation Enduring Peace (OPEP) deployed to prevent the reprisal attack and stop what could have turned into a mass casualty event against innocent civilians.

That singular action is now being twisted by Birbir into “the military fighting alongside Fulani terrorists.” Think carefully about the absurdity of that argument. Since when did preventing a retaliatory raid on an entire civilian settlement become “supporting terrorists”?

If armed youths from any ethnic group mobilize toward another community carrying weapons and threatening reprisals, is the military supposed to simply fold its arms and allow bloodshed because activists overseas have already chosen their preferred victims and villains? The troops prevented a revenge attack.
And because they refused to allow armed youths to storm Jong community, propaganda merchants like Birbir became angry.

What Birbir deliberately refuses to mention is that when the armed youths arrived near Jong, shooting started from their own side and a firefight followed involving armed Fulani elements in the area. Troops were immediately alerted and swiftly intervened, dominating the general area and preventing total escalation.

Troops Operation Enduring Peace also deployed Quick Response Forces which helped stabilize the situation and prevent further reprisals. That is what professional soldiers are supposed to do. Yet in Birbir’s fictional version, stopping armed youths from invading another community somehow translates into “fighting Christians.” Even more reckless is his repeated attempt to frame the Plateau crisis as some grand “Islamic jihad” to establish a caliphate in Nigeria.

There is absolutely no evidence that Boko Haram, ISWAP or any international jihadist organization is operating inside Barkin Ladi, Riyom, Bassa or Mangu as part of a coordinated Islamic conquest.

What Plateau is suffering from is a brutal cycle of communal reprisals involving armed groups from multiple sides, fueled by cattle rustling, land disputes, attacks on herders, revenge killings, illegal mining disputes and long-standing ethnic grievances which we have consistently documented.

The violence is tragic.But it is not the Hollywood-style “Christianity versus Islam” fantasy Birbir and his cohort are selling online. In fact, many of the incidents he ignores completely expose how selective and dishonest the propaganda has become.

For example, on May 10, 2026, troops of Sector 6 Operation Enduring Peace came under direct ambush from armed Berom militia while responding to reports of attacks on cattle around Gero area in Jos South LGA. The attackers reportedly attempted to encircle troops from surrounding hills before soldiers responded with superior firepower, forcing them to retreat toward Nyango and Daron communities.

During the attack, nine cows were killed, five injured and a Fulani herder identified as Aliyu Yusuf sustained gunshot wounds. Hours later, another soldier, Warrant Officer Rex Okang, was brutally attacked and badly injured by armed youths in Dorowa Tsoho, Barkin Ladi.

So the same military Birbir accuses of “supporting Fulani terrorists” is now also being attacked by the very armed groups he portrays as helpless victims. This is now becoming a very consistent and dangerous pattern of insurrection.

Whenever troops refuse to permit retaliatory attacks, attempt arrests, recover illegal weapons or block armed mobilisations, they are immediately blackmailed with accusations of “supporting Fulani terrorists.” When checkpoints are maintained, troops are accused of bias.
When checkpoints are withdrawn after attacks on soldiers, troops are accused of abandonment. When troops stop reprisals, they are accused of supporting one side.
When they arrest armed suspects, activists suddenly scream “targeting indigenous people.”

It is a propaganda carefully designed to delegitimize security operations anytime armed militias fail to get what they want. The reality on ground is that Nigerian troops have repeatedly risked their lives protecting communities across Plateau regardless of ethnicity. Troops have responded to attacks on Berom communities. Troops have also responded to attacks on Fulani settlements. Troops have recovered rustled cattle. Troops have evacuated wounded civilians from both sides.

Troops have prevented reprisals. Troops have died trying to restore peace. In the same plateau troops under attack of bandits and lost many officers and men.

Only recently in Mangu, a senior Nigerian Army officer was brutally killed after they came under heavy fire by the local Militia in Plateau. At different times, they have been attacked by Berom youths. But none of these matter to some propagandists whose primary interest is sustaining outrage and exporting a false genocide narrative abroad.

Perhaps the most dramatic chapter in Alex Birbir’s latest online fiction series was his now-famous “Burial Attack” story, where he attempted to convince international audiences that heavily armed Fulani jihadists surrounded a Christian burial ground in Barkin Ladi, launched a coordinated massacre operation, exchanged gunfire for “four to five hours,” while the Nigerian military conveniently disappeared into thin air.

During the tense atmosphere surrounding the burial, armed local youths were already positioned around the area and gunfire was reportedly initiated from within the local militia side toward surrounding hills after rumors spread about possible movements nearby.

According to Birbir, mourners were abandoned, Christians were left “with sticks and machetes,” machine guns echoed everywhere, terrorists almost overran the burial ground, and only brave local youths prevented “dozens and dozens” from being massacred. Even more revealing was Birbir’s own statement where he proudly declared that local youths “took up arms” to defend the area. In the aftermath, not one casualty, not one corpse, not one verified gunshot victim. No hospital admission. No medical evacuation. No emergency death report, was recorded.

Mr Birbir should therefore tell us how does a supposed four-to-five-hour terrorist assault involving machine guns and sniper rifles end without a single confirmed casualty? Did the terrorists suddenly forget how to shoot? Or perhaps, just perhaps, the entire event was massively exaggerated and manipulated for propaganda purposes.

Birbir also made another astonishing claim, insisting that “Christians defended themselves with sticks and stones against machine guns and AK-47s.” Again, facts expose the dishonesty. Security operations in Plateau have repeatedly uncovered Ak47 riffles, pistols, locally fabricated rifles, illegal arms factories, ammunition components and armed Berom militia networks linked to criminal elements operating in the state.

Several suspects involved in illegal weapons fabrication, robbery, and targeted attacks have already been arrested by troops while credible information has uncovered more arms factories. Only recently, troops recovered another fabricated rifle from a Berom militia member during operations in Barkin Ladi. If people are only carrying “sticks and stones,” where are these rifles, ammunition and fabricated weapons suddenly coming from?

Do illegal assault rifles or Ak47 now grow naturally inside Plateau or Berom farmlands? Even more revealing was Birbir’s own statement where he admitted that local youths “took up arms” to defend themselves. That statement alone destroys the entire “helpless civilians” narrative being marketed internationally. Mention a single scenario where they have defended their communities, instead those arms were used to perpetuate targeted attacks, armed robbery and cattle rustling. This year alone, the Berom militia have rustled or killed more than 400 cattle belonging to the fulani. None of these reports was acknowledge by Me Birbir.

Nobody denies that communities have suffered terrible losses in Plateau as a result of the attacks by Fulani bandits. Both Berom and Fulani communities have buried victims. Both sides have suffered same level of attacks. Both sides have experienced reprisals.

But what Birbir and similar propagandists are doing is dangerously reframing a complex communal conflict into a false one-directional religious extermination narrative. And that distortion is extremely dangerous because it radicalizes youths, fuels retaliation and undermines peace efforts.

Perhaps the greatest irony of all is this,
the same armed groups now attacking soldiers are often from the same communities loudly accusing the military of not protecting them enough. Troops are insulted when they intervene. Troops are attacked when they maintain neutrality. Troops are blackmailed when they stop reprisals. Troops are demonized when they arrest suspects. Naked women run to the street to protest. In one instant, they attacked troops, dismantled their check point and burnt some of their equipment.

Yet if the military withdraws completely and violence escalates uncontrollably, the same voices will again blame the military for “abandoning Christians.” This endless contradiction exposes the real problem:
Some actors no longer want peace.
They want validation for retaliation.

The unfortunate truth is that Plateau’s violence will never end if every attempt to enforce neutrality is interpreted as “supporting the enemy.” No military operation can succeed where armed militias are defended, illegal weapons are normalized and propaganda rewards revenge narratives over accountability.

Accusing troops of “aiding terrorists” simply because they prevented armed youths from attacking another civilian settlement is not only dishonest, it is reckless and inflammatory.

Peace in Plateau will only come through truth, accountability, disarmament and honest dialogue, not through emotional podcasts designed to inflame international outrage while ignoring the full complexity of the conflict.

Alex Birbir’s Plateau False Narrative Collapses Under the Weight of Facts

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Nigeria’s Nutrition Accountability Gap Persists as Child Stunting Hits 40%

Published

25 minutes ago

October 14, 2026

Ochuwa Ibrahim

Nigeria’s Nutrition Accountability Gap Persists as Child Stunting Hits 40%

By: Michael Mike

Nigeria’s failure to translate nutrition policies and funding commitments into measurable results has come under scrutiny, with the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership calling for performance-based financing, stronger legislative oversight and tougher accountability measures to address child malnutrition.

The centre said on Wednesday that under-five stunting in Nigeria stood at 40 per cent, against a national target of 18 per cent that has expired, highlighting the gap between policy commitments and implementation.

Speaking at a policy webinar in Abuja, the Director of the Olikoye Ransome-Kuti Institute for Health and Social Equity, Dr Danjuma Iyaji, said Nigeria had developed systems for measuring nutrition outcomes without establishing adequate mechanisms to hold public officials accountable for poor performance.

“Nigeria has built the measurement architecture of nutrition accountability without building its consequence architecture,” Iyaji said.

The webinar, organised by the Athena Centre through its institute, was titled From Measurement to Consequence: Fixing Nigeria’s Nutrition Accountability Gap. It examined findings from the centre’s policy paper, Political Incentives and Nutrition Neglect: Why State Governments Fail to Improve Child Nutrition.

The discussion brought together officials from the Office of the Vice President, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and the House of Representatives Committee on Nutrition and Food Security to examine why government commitments were not consistently translating into improved nutrition outcomes.

According to the centre, only nine of Nigeria’s 36 states had formally established State Councils on Nutrition as of April 2026, while the existence of such councils did not necessarily demonstrate that they were functioning effectively.

To address the gaps, the centre proposed linking supplementary funding tranches to independently verified readiness, conducting annual state performance assessments, establishing an escalation framework for persistent non-performance and holding annual legislative hearings at the state level.

However, participants stressed that accountability measures must not deprive vulnerable children of essential nutrition services because their state governments failed to meet administrative or performance requirements.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Nutrition and Public Health, Uju Rochas-Anwukah, endorsed the diagnosis, identifying three major breaks in the accountability chain: commitments not translating into fund releases, releases failing to translate into service delivery, and inadequate understanding of nutrition priorities among subnational leaders.

“A stunted child is a lost asset that no bridge can build,” she said.

Rochas-Anwukah cautioned that readiness-based financing must not disadvantage states with the greatest nutrition needs but weaker implementation capacity. She also clarified that the terms governing the Child Nutrition Fund rested with UNICEF and its partners, rather than her office.

She called for a pathway through which less-prepared states could strengthen their capacity to qualify for support without leaving children in those states behind.

The presidential aide also urged the passage of the proposed National Food and Nutrition Bill, arguing that a stronger legal framework would help sustain accountability beyond individual administrations.

The Director of Nutrition at NPHCDA, Dr Adebiyi Olatunde, said accountability must extend beyond state-level indicators to primary healthcare facilities, where the availability of therapeutic foods and micronutrients directly affects children’s access to treatment and preventive services.

She warned that state-level figures could conceal serious deficiencies in individual communities and health facilities.

“At times we have data for a state, and the issue may be in only two particular wards,” Olatunde said.

She advocated collecting and analysing data down to ward and facility levels to identify localised failures. She also called for a root-cause assessment before sanctions or other escalation measures were imposed, to establish whether poor performance resulted from funding shortages, supply-chain problems or weaknesses in implementation.

The Research Lead for the House of Representatives Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, Abel Okechukwu, described conditional financing as “workable and urgently needed”, but argued that the approach should combine protected funding for essential services with incentives for improved performance.

He proposed allocating 70 per cent of funding as a protected lifeline for interventions such as micronutrient provision and school feeding, while reserving 30 per cent as a performance incentive linked to functional nutrition councils, approved costed plans and published expenditure records.

“Conditional financing should not punish the child,” Okechukwu said.

He also called for stronger legislative scrutiny, arguing that oversight hearings must be supported by reliable data and adequate preparation rather than conducted as ceremonial exercises.

According to him, effective hearings require standardised reporting templates and the submission of reports at least 21 days before proceedings.

Okechukwu said the committee intended to intensify joint oversight in 2026 and 2027. He also proposed inserting a provision in the Appropriation Act to link federal grants to evidence that state governments had exercised appropriate oversight of nutrition programmes.

The discussions refined several of the centre’s recommendations, particularly the need to protect essential nutrition funding, provide weaker states with a route to meeting readiness requirements, assess performance below the state level and make root-cause reviews the starting point for addressing persistent failures.

However, whether the existing Child Nutrition Fund arrangements permit the proposed financing conditions remains unresolved, according to the centre’s policy paper.

As follow-up measures, the Athena Centre said it would engage partners in the Child Nutrition Fund on financing conditions, present the proposed escalation framework to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and take its legislative recommendations to State Houses of Assembly.

It also plans to circulate a policy note incorporating the panellists’ recommendations before publication and reassess the four proposed reforms in July 2027.

In her closing remarks, the webinar moderator and researcher at the institute, Ijeoma Achebe, said the discussion had strengthened the paper’s diagnosis of the challenges undermining nutrition outcomes.

“The gap is not simply about a lack of policies,” she said. “It is the distance between commitments and delivery.”

Nigeria’s Nutrition Accountability Gap Persists as Child Stunting Hits 40%

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Nigeria Mourns 140 Migrants Killed in Djibouti Boat Tragedy, Calls for Action Against Irregular Migration

Published

10 hours ago

October 14, 2026

Ochuwa Ibrahim

Nigeria Mourns 140 Migrants Killed in Djibouti Boat Tragedy, Calls for Action Against Irregular Migration

By: Michael Mike

The Federal Government has expressed condolences to Djibouti following the death of nearly 140 migrants, including 15 children, in a boat disaster off the country’s coast, calling for urgent collective action to address the root causes of irregular migration.

Nigeria, in a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja, said the boat capsized between October 8 and 9, 2026, leaving scores of people missing, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

The government expressed sympathy to the bereaved families and solidarity with the government and people of Djibouti over the tragedy, describing the incident as a grim reminder of the dangers confronting migrants who undertake perilous journeys in search of economic opportunities.

The statement, signed by the ministry’s spokesperson, Oluwafemi Adeniyi, said the disaster underscored the urgent need to tackle the underlying factors driving irregular migration, strengthen the fight against migrant smuggling and human trafficking, and promote safe, orderly and regular migration.

It stressed that efforts to prevent such tragedies must align with relevant African Union frameworks and applicable international instruments.

Nigeria further emphasised that protecting migrants, particularly children and other vulnerable persons, was a shared responsibility requiring sustained cooperation among countries of origin, transit and destination, as well as regional and international organisations.

According to the government, stronger collaboration is essential to prevent further loss of life, protect migrants’ fundamental rights and dignity, and ensure that migration is managed safely and humanely.

The Federal Government reaffirmed its commitment to working with the United Nations, the African Union and other relevant stakeholders to strengthen migration management, raise awareness about the dangers of irregular migration and develop practical measures to address its root causes.

It also called for renewed international cooperation to safeguard human life along migration routes across Africa and beyond.

The tragedy adds to concerns over the risks faced by migrants travelling along dangerous routes in pursuit of better economic prospects, reinforcing calls for stronger action against criminal networks that facilitate irregular journeys and for more sustainable solutions to the factors compelling people to leave their homes.

Nigeria reiterated its deepest sympathies to all those affected by the disaster and urged collective efforts to prevent similar tragedies.

Nigeria Mourns 140 Migrants Killed in Djibouti Boat Tragedy, Calls for Action Against Irregular Migration

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Nigeria Demands Justice over Nigerian’s Death in South African Police Custody

Published

10 hours ago

October 14, 2026

Ochuwa Ibrahim

Nigeria Demands Justice over Nigerian’s Death in South African Police Custody

By: Michael Mike

The Nigerian Consulate General in Johannesburg has demanded a thorough investigation into the death of another Nigerian national, Odueze Chimezie Odueze, who allegedly died following torture by South African police officers in Cape Town.

The consulate, in a press statement dated October 13, 2026, said Odueze died on October 9 in the Parklands area of Cape Town, describing the incident as a source of shock and distress to his family and the Nigerian community in South Africa.

According to the statement issued by the Consul General, Ninikanwa Okey-Uche, the deceased was reportedly arrested at a shopping centre on suspicion of drug possession and subsequently taken to his residence for a search.

The consulate said no drugs were found during the search but alleged that Odueze was nevertheless subjected to torture.

The mission expressed grave concern over what it described as a recurring pattern of alleged extrajudicial killings involving Nigerians in South Africa, warning that the incidents raised serious questions about the safety and protection of Nigerian citizens and other foreign nationals in the country.

It also linked its concerns to reports of xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks and threats against foreign nationals, urging the South African authorities to ensure that allegations of abuse by law enforcement officers were investigated impartially and transparently.

“No matter what the allegations may be, there are processes and steps to justice,” the consulate said, stressing that criminal allegations should be addressed through established legal procedures and that suspects were entitled to a fair hearing before a court of law.

The mission called on the relevant South African authorities to conduct a comprehensive investigation into Odueze’s death and ensure that anyone found culpable was prosecuted in accordance with the law.

It further appealed to Nigerians living in South Africa to remain calm, law-abiding and security-conscious amid reported attacks and threats against foreign nationals.

The consulate extended its condolences to Odueze’s family and assured Nigerians that it would continue to pursue the protection, welfare and fair treatment of Nigerian citizens in South Africa.

Reaffirming its commitment to seeking justice for the deceased, the mission declared that it would not relent in insisting that “Nigerian and all lives matter.”

Nigeria Demands Justice over Nigerian’s Death in South African Police Custody