Vanguard Newspaper’s Marie-Therese Nanlong punches hole in claims by National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu that no part of the country is under the control of bandits and terrorists.
Excerpts…
Contrary to claims by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, that no part of the country is under the control of terrorists, investigations by Saturday Vanguard have revealed that no fewer than 64 communities in Plateau State have been invaded and occupied by terrorists some of which have being renamed after the original inhabitants were driven away.
The situation is similar in neighbouring Benue State where two-third of the communities are presently under the control of foreign invaders while the displaced natives are languishing in Internally Displaced Persons’ camps. Farmers have also been chased away from their ancestral homes.
In Plateau State, during the administrations of former Governors Jonah Jang (2007-2015), and Simon Lalong (2015-2023), the Berom tribe who are found mainly in the Barkin Ladi, Jos North, Jos South, and Riyom Local Government Areas, raised the alarm about invasions and displacement of the natives by strange faces in collaboration with some known people.
They pointed out that in some instances, the insurgents renamed the seized communities, but many people doubted and trivialised the claim as the attacks later extended to the Irigwe Chiefdom in the Bassa Local Government Area of the state.
Recall that former Governor Jang; former Senator, Plateau North Senatorial Zone (where the affected LGAs are located), Istifanus Gyang; the Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Jacob Buba; the Berom Educational and Cultural Organization, BECO and the Irigwe people in the Bassa Local Government Area among others, consistently appealed to the Federal Government to tackle land occupation by foreign herders but all entreaties were ignored.
A document obtained from BECO by Saturday Vanguard in 2018 showed that over 54 communities had been taken over by the invaders.
The current President of BECO, Dara Gyang Dudu, however told Saturday Vanguard that the number of sacked communities in Berom land alone is now 64.
The 2018 document listed some of the affected communities to include “Rotchun (aka Rafin Acha); Dankum (renamed ‘Mahanga’); Hywa (renamed ‘Lugere’); Fass (renamed ‘Tafawa’); Davwak; Chwelnyap; Lyoho Dakar, and Angwan Dalyop which were all attacked Between September 7 and 10, 2001 with the original inhabitants displaced.”
