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The Plateau Narrative War: Why Naming Criminals Should Not Be Mistaken for Profiling Communities

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The Plateau Narrative War: Why Naming Criminals Should Not Be Mistaken for Profiling Communities

By: Zagazola Makama

The reactions that followed Zagazola Media Network’s report identifying the suspect killed during the attempted attack near the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, has again exposed a deeper challenge in Plateau’s long-running conflict, the battle over narratives is increasingly becoming as fierce as the violence itself.

At no point did our report describe the good people of Berom as a militia. We referred to a suspected Berom militia member, (Peter from Trade Center Community in Plateau) based on what is circulating on various local indigenes platforms as well as available information from multiple security and local sources.

A 17 minutes video shared by Zagazola showed a Whatsapp conversation where one Berom youth was speaking to another telling him that he recognized the attacker as one Peter who was from his area at Trade Center and that he is a BEROM. That automatically qualified him to be a Bandits, terrorists or any name we chose to call him. Because more disturbing was the fact that the gun that was used for the attack was traced to be a rifle used by the same Berom Militia to attack and kill a Nigerian Soldier in another Berom community.

So, there is a world of difference between identifying the background of a suspect and criminalising an entire ethnic group. Those who deliberately blur that distinction are only choosing to mischievously misrepresent it.

Therefore, our report did not describe the Berom people as a militia. It referred to a suspected criminal from the Berom extraction as the militia member. Conflating the actions of an individual or an armed group with an entire ethnic community is misleading, just as suggesting that identifying a suspect’s background automatically amounts to profiling an entire people is equally misguided, problematic and misleading.

Curiously, this distinction appears to matter only when it is politically convenient. For years, reports identifying Fulani bandits have circulated widely with little objection from many of those who now insist that ethnicity should never be mentioned in security reporting. In fact, many have argued that identifying armed Fulani groups was necessary for transparency and accountability.

“Everyday we hear the Berom Youth leader profiling the entire Fulani communities as terrorist groups. Miyetti Allah association has severally been called a terrorist organization. He will always come out to warn that supporters of terrorists will also be considered as terrorists. In his numerous emotional speeches, he always pointed at a peaceful Fulani community and told the world that it is through those communities that the terrorists are coming to attack the Berom Communities. Sometimes, he will name some of the communities as training grounds for terrorists. This is normal as it fits in the narratives because they are FULANI.

And when the Fulani’s are killed in any part of the Berom Communities, instead of condemnation, the Berom Leader will come out and say that the Fulani themselves were the ones who scheme the killings in order to have a reason to attack the Berom people. The man has used this same script in more than 10 different attacks against the Fulani by his people.

Now, a different standard appears to be emerging. When the identity of a suspect allegedly points elsewhere, the conversation suddenly shifts from the attack itself to the identity of the attacker, and eventually to the journalist who reported it.

The irony is difficult to ignore. Plateau’s conflict has never been a simple story of one community attacking another. Security operations over the years have led to the arrest of armed suspects from different ethnic backgrounds. Weapons have been recovered from various communities. Security personnel have repeatedly confronted armed groups operating under different identities. Innocent civilians have been killed across ethnic and religious lines. Infact, troops have come under heavy attack by Berom Militia leading to the killing of an Officer recently.

Pain does not recognise ethnicity. Neither should justice. That reality is uncomfortable because it refuses to fit neatly into a single narrative. (We are targeted for Genocide). The unfortunate consequence is that every security incident increasingly becomes a contest over perception rather than an opportunity to confront criminality.

Perhaps the hardest truth to accept is that many attacks on the Plateau today are reprisals for previous attacks. One killing produces another. One burnt settlement leads to another. Every side points to yesterday’s victims to justify today’s violence. That endless cycle has turned grief into an inheritance passed from one generation to another. This is what we find and we have all the documented stories with facts, time and coordinates.

Meanwhile, misinformation has become another weapon of war. False narratives spread faster than verified facts. Every incident is immediately reshaped to fit an existing political or ethnic storyline. Social media amplifies rumours. WhatsApp manufactures witnesses. Every community believes only its own version of events. Facts become secondary.

Every community readily acknowledges the crimes committed against it but often hesitates to openly confront violent actors operating from within its own ranks. The Berom communities have always defended these criminal networks describing them as the defenders of the Berom Land. This is why in many cases, they will come out to confront the military asking for the release of any perpetrator no matter the crime.

This pattern is not unique to one ethnic group.
Across Plateau’s troubled communities, violent individuals often find defenders long before investigators complete their work. Once arrests are made or suspects are neutralised, debates frequently shift from accountability to allegations of bias, while the original crime gradually fades into the background. Meanwhile, the victims remain dead.

For example, the so-called advocate of peace simply attempted to shift the conversation from the act of terrorism perpetrated by the militia from the Berom extraction to the naming of the Berom Militia. They are more concerned about the name attached to the criminal instead of the act. Worst still, they attempted to disown him because he was caught in the act.

One of the less discussed realities of the Plateau crisis is that many attacks are reprisals. A village is attacked; another community retaliates. Livestock are stolen; farms are destroyed in response. One funeral becomes the justification for another. This vicious cycle has continued for years, producing victims on every side while strengthening extremists who benefit from perpetual hostility.

Equally concerning is the growing role of misinformation. Competing narratives now spread almost instantly after every incident. Social media platforms become arenas where facts compete with rumours, and carefully crafted ethnic narratives often gain traction before investigators even arrive at crime scenes. Mainstream media are deliberately not reporting these issues. In such an environment, objective reporting inevitably becomes unpopular because facts rarely satisfy entrenched positions.

Yet journalism cannot become hostage to public sentiment. If armed Fulani bandits are identified where evidence supports that conclusion, the same standard should apply to any other armed group. Conversely, where evidence changes or proves insufficient, responsible journalism equally demands correction. That is how credibility is built not through selective silence but through consistency. In this case Zagazola was right. PETER was a Berom son. Does this criminalize every Berom, no. It only criminalised Mr Peter and his networks of Militia.

Now, the larger question is whether Plateau’s stakeholders are prepared to confront criminality wherever it exists. The overwhelming majority of Berom, Fulani and other ethnic communities in Plateau desire peace. Farmers want to cultivate their land. Herders want to graze their livestock. Traders want to move safely. Children want to attend school without fear. Unfortunately, these aspirations continue to be undermined by a relatively small number of violent actors whose actions often receive moral justification from competing ethnic narratives.

As a Fulani herder, you cannot passed through certain communities without being lynched. So also the Berom people, same fate are mated on them the same way. Both communities have no go areas and to prevent the killings, troops of Operation Enduring Peace, created buffer zones where cattle are prevented from encroaching farmlands.

Justice cannot operate with two different measuring sticks. One of the uncomfortable truths about the Plateau conflict is that violent actors exist on all sides. That reality has been documented repeatedly by security agencies, intelligence reports, court records, arrests and operational outcomes. Armed groups have emerged from different communities. Weapons have been recovered from different communities. Suspects have been arrested from different communities. Some have even been killed while attacking security forces.

Acknowledging that reality is not hatred. It is honesty. What has remained disappointingly absent over the years is consistent moral courage from community leaders across the divide. Whenever security agencies arrest armed Fulani criminals, many Fulani leaders dismiss the reports as collective persecution. Whenever armed youths from Berom communities are arrested or neutralised during violent incidents, some leaders respond with outright denial or insist that the victims somehow killed themselves. Every incident quickly becomes another battle of competing narratives instead of an opportunity to confront criminality.

That is precisely why independent journalism matters. Our responsibility is not to comfort one side or the other. Our responsibility is to document events as accurately as possible, correct mistakes where credible evidence demands it, and continue reporting without fear or favour.

Some have suggested that identifying armed groups from different communities somehow fuels division. We disagree. What fuels division is selective outrage. What fuels division is defending criminals because they speak your language or pray the same way you do. What fuels division is pretending that violence exists only on one side while ignoring atrocities committed on another. Criminals thrive where communities refuse to confront them.

The Plateau crisis will not end through propaganda. It will not end through denial. It will not end by blaming journalists for reporting uncomfortable realities. It will end only when every community accepts one principle: a criminal is a criminal, regardless of ethnicity. It will end when parents stop celebrating armed youths as defenders while condemning identical crimes committed by others.

It will end when political leaders find the courage to support genuine dialogue instead of allowing fear of public backlash or political correctness to dictate peace efforts. It will end when facts become more important than narratives.

Plateau remains one of Nigeria’s most beautiful states, and the overwhelming majority of its people Berom, Fulani, Anaguta, Afizere, Irigwe, Mwaghavul, Ron and many others want nothing more than to live in peace. The violence is concentrated in relatively few areas, yet its consequences stain the reputation of the entire state. That should concern all of us.

Zagazola Media Network has no quarrel with any ethnic group. We have no interest in promoting one narrative over another. Our only commitment is to the truth as established by credible evidence.

Those who disagree with our reports are free to challenge them with verifiable facts. Journalism welcomes scrutiny. But replacing evidence with outrage has never solved a single conflict.

Peace will remain elusive as long as communities measure justice by the identity of the suspect rather than the gravity of the offence.

Zagazola Media Network

The Plateau Narrative War: Why Naming Criminals Should Not Be Mistaken for Profiling Communities

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NDLEA Rearrests 83-Year-Old Woman for Drug Trafficking, Seizes 2.8 Tonnes of Cannabis

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5 hours ago

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October 11, 2026

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NDLEA Rearrests 83-Year-Old Woman for Drug Trafficking, Seizes 2.8 Tonnes of Cannabis

…South African Woman Arrested with 32.74kg Cannabis at PH Airport

By: Michael Mike

An 83-year-old woman previously convicted for drug trafficking has been arrested again with methamphetamine and Colorado, as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) records major drug seizures across several states, including the arrest of a South African woman with 32.74 kilogrammes of cannabis at Port Harcourt airport.

The octogenarian, Uloma Uchechi Sunday, was arrested last Wednesday at her residence in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State, with quantities of methamphetamine and Colorado, a synthetic cannabinoid, allegedly tied around her waist with a wrapper.

The NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi in a statement on Sunday said the octogenarian arrest followed intelligence indicating that she operated a drug joint allegedly patronised by criminal elements terrorising the community.

Sunday had previously been arrested on May 17, 2025, alongside her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi, at the same residence. The agency said they were found with 50 grammes of methamphetamine, 522 grammes of skunk, 260 grammes of fresh cannabis leaves and 12 grammes of tramadol.

Both women pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment or a fine of N200,000 each. They paid the fines and were released.

According to the NDLEA, the older woman subsequently returned to the drug trade and allegedly established a drug joint at her residence.

In a separate operation, operatives of the agency, working with the Nigeria Customs Service, arrested a South African national, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Rivers State, with 30 parcels of Thai Loud, a cannabis strain weighing 32.74 kilogrammes.

The suspect, who arrived from Thailand through Doha aboard a Qatar Airways flight, allegedly concealed the drugs in two travelling bags. The agency said she admitted to previously trafficking drugs through other African countries and attempting to expand her route to Port Harcourt.

The arrests formed part of a series of interdiction operations in which the NDLEA recovered large consignments of illicit drugs at airports, along highways and in residential locations across Lagos, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Cross River, Ondo and Plateau states.

At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, operatives intercepted 354,000 tablets of tapentadol, each reportedly dosed at 250mg, weighing 307.2 kilogrammes.

The shipment, comprising nine cartons from Pakistan aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight, had been placed under surveillance after arriving on September 29. A joint examination last Tuesday uncovered the consignment.

In another operation at the airport, officers recovered 70 parcels of Colorado weighing 75.9 kilogrammes from six Ghana-Must-Go bags in a consolidated cargo shipment from the United Kingdom.

The agency said a clearing agent, John Edrah, 54, was arrested on September 30. Other suspects subsequently arrested were Taofiq Ajibola, 54, an Uber driver; Adetunji Adebayo; and Kazeem Dosunmu, 48, a clothing trader.

Ajibola allegedly disclosed that the drugs had been sent by a UK-based associate, Lukman Sa’idu, while Dosunmu reportedly identified another UK-based individual, Yusuf, as the source of his consignment.

In Cross River State, NDLEA operatives raided Iyala Nkun village in Ikom Local Government Area on October 4, arresting Adama Inuwa, 46, and recovering 181 bags of cannabis weighing 1,100 kilogrammes, alongside 17.15 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds.

In Edo State, officers intercepted a black Toyota Camry at Otuo, Owan East Local Government Area last Monday. The vehicle was allegedly conveying 1,049 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 702.83 kilogrammes.

Three suspects — Monday Orji, 52; Monday Lawal, 40; and Precious Uduegele, 20 — were arrested in connection with the seizure.

Another suspect, Ojugo Mercy, 26, was arrested at Asoro, off Sakponba Road, Benin City, with 989 grammes of Loud, 13 grammes of Colorado and 83 grammes of methamphetamine.

In Ondo State, operatives traced 21-year-old Happy Endurance to a hideout in the Shasha area of Akure last Monday, recovering 29 bags of cannabis weighing 290 kilogrammes.

On the same day, another raid at an apartment in Oba-Ile, Akure, led to the arrest of Tunde Adebayo, 42, with 35 bags of cannabis weighing 351 kilogrammes.

In Taraba State, two suspects, Abdulrasheed Mohamed, 31, and Abubakar Saidu, 37, were arrested at Chanchanji village in Wukari Local Government Area last Friday, with 166,200 tablets of tramadol, each reportedly dosed at 225mg and weighing 107 kilogrammes.

A separate stop-and-search operation along the Kano-Maiduguri Road in Kano State on the same day led to the arrest of Yahaya Musa, 32, with 24,990 capsules of tramadol, 50,000 tablets of diazepam and 22,000 tablets of Exol-5.

In Kaduna State, operatives patrolling the Zaria-Kaduna Expressway arrested Mohammed Musa, 29, with 31 jumbo bags and 775 blocks of skunk weighing a combined 1,027 kilogrammes.

At Orile, Lagos, another suspect, Musbau Balogun Adekunle, was arrested last Tuesday with 32.51 kilogrammes of skunk and 52.65 kilogrammes of its seeds, bringing the total seizure to 85.16 kilogrammes.

Meanwhile, a raid on the residence of Christian Uju, 45, at Rukuba Road, Jos, Plateau State, last Thursday resulted in the recovery of methamphetamine, firearms and ammunition.

The agency said officers seized 47 grammes of methamphetamine, two pump-action rifles, one locally made gun, 199 live cartridges, five rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and one round of 9mm ammunition.

Beyond the seizures, the NDLEA said its commands and formations sustained public enlightenment campaigns under its War Against Drug Abuse initiative, targeting students, worshippers, workers and communities across the country.

The NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers and men of the Lagos, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Port Harcourt International Airport, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Cross River, Ondo and Plateau commands for what he described as professional and intelligence-driven operations.

Marwa urged personnel nationwide to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control, combining enforcement with preventive education and public sensitisation.

NDLEA Rearrests 83-Year-Old Woman for Drug Trafficking, Seizes 2.8 Tonnes of Cannabis

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WAHO, Global Partners Seek Funding Framework for Lassa Fever Vaccine

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10 hours ago

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October 11, 2026

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WAHO, Global Partners Seek Funding Framework for Lassa Fever Vaccine

By: Michael Mike

The West African Health Organisation (WAHO) and international health partners will meet in Berlin on Sunday to advance a collaborative financing framework for Lassa fever vaccine development, as efforts intensify to strengthen the region’s preparedness for epidemic threats.

The high-level roundtable, scheduled for October 11 on the sidelines of the World Health Summit, will explore funding commitments for vaccine research, late-stage clinical development, research readiness and regional manufacturing capacity.

The initiative comes amid persistent concerns over Lassa fever, a major public health threat in West Africa, and the limited commercial incentives for developing vaccines against epidemic diseases.

Convened by IAVI, MedAccess and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the meeting is being organised with support from WAHO and the German development agency, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), with funding from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The roundtable is expected to bring together regional and international partners to review progress on the proposed financing framework, clarify their respective roles and identify concrete next steps, including potential financial commitments.

WAHO said it would use the meeting to advance the priorities of member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), with emphasis on regional ownership, coordinated investment and sustainable financing for Lassa fever vaccine preparedness.

The organisation will be represented by its Director of Healthcare Services, Dr Virgil Lokossou, who is expected to highlight how investments in vaccine development could strengthen clinical research, laboratory capacity, disease surveillance, regulatory systems and regional preparedness for future epidemics.

The discussions build on the September 2025 ministerial roundtable in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, convened by WAHO in collaboration with the governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria.

The meeting brought together health ministers or their representatives from 11 West African countries, culminating in a communiqué that supported the advancement of IAVI’s recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) Lassa fever vaccine candidate as a regional pathfinder.

The communiqué also committed participating countries to mobilising national, regional and international resources through a collaborative co-funding approach.

Building on the commitments, WAHO has led a regional Demand Forecasting Working Group to develop projections that could inform the vaccine investment case.

The projections draw on country consultations, expert interviews, key informant inputs and contributions from national Lassa fever task forces.

The proposed financing framework is expected to combine contributions from governments, philanthropic organisations and other financing partners to support the advancement of Lassa fever vaccines.

IAVI’s investigational rVSV Lassa fever vaccine candidate, supported by CEPI and the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), underscores the need for sustained investment in vaccine research alongside stronger regional clinical research and manufacturing capabilities.

Beyond Lassa fever, the partners believe the financing approach could provide a model for supporting the development of vaccines against other priority epidemic diseases.

The closed-door roundtable will hold from 4.30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Central European Summer Time at the Pullman Berlin Schweizerhof in Germany.

WAHO, Global Partners Seek Funding Framework for Lassa Fever Vaccine

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ActionAid Raises Alarm as 33.4% of Nigerian Women Married Before 18

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23 hours ago

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October 10, 2026

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ActionAid Raises Alarm as 33.4% of Nigerian Women Married Before 18

…Group urges governments to enforce child marriage laws, boost girls’ education

By: Michael Mike

ActionAid Nigeria has called on federal and state governments to strengthen enforcement of laws against child marriage and increase investment in girls’ education and rights, warning that early marriage continues to deprive millions of Nigerian girls of opportunities to determine their futures.

The organisation, in a statement issued on Saturday ahead of the 2026 International Day of the Girl, said 33.4 per cent of young Nigerian women aged 20 to 24 were married before the age of 18, with the prevalence approaching 50 per cent in the North-east and North-west.

The statement, signed by its Country Director, Andrew Mamedu, cited an analysis of the 2024 Demographic and Health Survey, alongside UNICEF estimates that more than 3.7 million women aged 20 to 24 were married before turning 18.

The International Day of the Girl, marked on October 11, is being observed this year under the theme, “End child marriage and invest in girls’ rights.”

ActionAid said child marriage was not merely a cultural practice or a family matter but a violation of girls’ rights that could disrupt their education, restrict their economic prospects and expose them to violence and early pregnancy.

It added that more than 12 million girls globally were married before adulthood every year, underscoring the need for sustained action by governments, communities and development partners.

The organisation identified poverty and limited access to education as major factors contributing to early marriage, noting that girls from poorer households and those with lower levels of education faced greater risks.

According to the statement, UNICEF analysis indicates that ensuring every girl in Northern Nigeria completes secondary education could reduce child marriage by as much as two-thirds, while also lowering adolescent pregnancy and improving economic productivity.

To illustrate the impact of interventions that empower girls, ActionAid recounted the experience of Aisha Aliyu, who was 16 when her family began preparing for her marriage to her cousin.

Aisha, who participated in the organisation’s Girl-led Research and Action Project, learnt about girls’ rights, the importance of education and the risks associated with early marriage.

Armed with that knowledge, she found the confidence to speak to her parents about her desire to continue her education. Her parents eventually called off the marriage, allowing her to return to school.

She now hopes to become a businesswoman and mentor other girls in her community.

ActionAid said her experience demonstrated how access to information, safe spaces and opportunities for participation could help girls challenge practices that threatened their futures.

Through its Girl-led Research and Action initiative, the organisation supports girls to investigate issues affecting their lives, generate evidence and use their findings to advocate for change.

It also works with women’s rights organisations and communities through its Local Rights Programme to address harmful gender norms, violence, barriers to education and the exclusion of girls from decision-making.

The organisation said its Renewed Women’s Voice and Leadership Nigeria Project, funded by Global Affairs Canada, also supports locally led initiatives to advance gender equality and strengthen women’s and girls’ leadership.

Mamedu said investment in girls must go beyond protecting them from abuse to recognising their rights and enabling them to participate in decisions affecting their lives.

“Investing in girls is not simply about protecting them from harm; it is about recognising their rights, supporting their leadership and creating the opportunities they need to shape their own lives and contribute meaningfully to society,” he said.

He urged governments to ensure that the systems and resources required to protect girls’ rights were available and effective.

ActionAid called on federal and state governments, the National and State Assemblies, and justice and law-enforcement institutions to ensure that laws protecting girls against child marriage and other harmful practices were effectively implemented, with clear accountability for violations.

It also urged the Federal Ministry of Education, the Universal Basic Education Commission, state ministries of education and state universal basic education boards to increase investment in safe, quality and inclusive education, particularly for girls in rural, conflict-affected and marginalised communities.

The organisation further called for expanded social protection and livelihood support for vulnerable households to ease the economic pressures that push girls into early marriage and school dropout.

It urged ministries responsible for women’s affairs and youth development, local governments, schools, legislators and community institutions to establish safe spaces where girls could participate meaningfully in research, policy discussions and decisions affecting their lives.

Parents, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, schools and the media were also urged to challenge social norms that restrict girls’ choices and support their right to education and leadership.

ActionAid said ending child marriage required coordinated action to address its underlying causes, protect girls from harmful practices and ensure that every girl had the opportunity to learn, thrive and shape her future.

ActionAid Raises Alarm as 33.4% of Nigerian Women Married Before 18

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