Plateau Killings: Community Leader Calls for Collaborative Action of Political Leaders to Tackle Escalating Herdsmen Attack

By: Michael Mike

A community leader in Plateau, Chief Yohana Margif has called on the state governor, Caleb Mutfwang and members of the National Assembly from the state to join hands and end the escalating herdsmen attacks on parts of the state, especially Mushere community.

He made the plea at a news conference in Abuja on Saturday, stressing that there was urgent need for collective action by political leaders to save Plateau people from the herdsmen’s relentless killings.

Margif, the Waziri Mushere of Mushere Chiefdom, Bokkos Local Government Area, also appealed to the Federal Government and the international community for support and urgent intervention to save the people’s lives.

According to him, the timing of the attacks, particularly during the farming season, and harsh weather conditions, has exacerbated the suffering of the victims, who are largely rural farmers.

The community leader further said that so many villages in Mushere Chiefdom, such as Kadim, Hokk, and Nawula, among others, had already been ravaged and sacked by the marauding herdsmen.

He said: “These attacks culminated in countless loss of lives, destruction of homes, displacement of inhabitants, whose lands were now occupied by the herders, depriving them access to their ancestral homes and livelihoods.

“The situation demands immediate attention, and I appeal to Gov. Caleb Mutfwang, the Federal Government, our National Assembly members, security chiefs, other critical stakeholders, and the international community for support in bringing an end to this violence.

“The current escalation of attacks and wanton killings across Plateau State necessitates collective action to restore peace and security.”

Margif also noted that the herders were emboldened by the lack of effective response from the authorities, hence the killings and land grabbing were replicated in several communities across Plateau.

He said: “As leaders, we cannot stand idly by while our people are being brutalised and our lands taken over. Our people cannot perish in silence, we must take decisive action to save them and restore peace and security.

“The cries of our people seem to fall on deaf ears, and it is imperative that we, as leaders, take urgent action to address this situation.

“The killings and land grabbing from one community to another, is not a good testament to our leadership, so we must urgently collectively intervene and stem the spread of bloodshed.”

The community leader also proffered some measures that would bring about the immediate cessation of hostilities and the restoration of peace in the affected areas.

He suggested an immediate change of strategy by the government and relevant security agencies, stressing that “the business-as-usual approach of doing the same thing in the same way would only culminate in the same outcome.”

Plateau Killings: Community Leader Calls for Collaborative Action of Political Leaders to Tackle Escalating Herdsmen Attack