Plateau’s Set Of Horror And PBAT’s Conspiracy of Silence.

By Bolaji O. Akinyemi.

Reading through my mails and messages this 2nd day of January 2024. Several requests for more details on the genocidal attark on Plateau State North Central Nigeria are sent to me by friends and fans from the international community, a lot of whom are worried about our insecurity and unending killing of innocent civilians.

Luyanda Mangquku from South Africa wrote; “Am disturbed with the recent genocide at the Plateau State.

Can you shed some light on what is going on in Nigeria and why this problem is escalating?

Kind Regards”.

Constrained by time and with many pending issues to address as a Prophetic Scribe over the house of Nigeria living in the assurance of the mandate; “by the sword of the scribe shall the battles be won”. I found inspiration through the press release of The Para-Mallam Peace Foundation to put my “sword” to paper in hope that needed hearts and consciences will be pierced to repentance. And possibly, international film industry may find the material useable for production.

Script, Cast, Crew, location and Set are common words in film making. All of the process in film making are simply ideas on paper until they arrive location and crew get on set. All set for synergy and production rolls with the word, Action! Cut may be heard for a retake of scene. What you are about to read may come to you like the set of an horror film. But it is neither a stage drama nor a film. This is live! Real live and uncensored!! The art an act of fulani killer herdsmen in their haven made safe by forces of conspiracy while the indigenous tribes are left vulnerable and the nation watched helplessly an unending real live season film since 2011. Will this trauma ever end?

Chriang Village: a 9 – year-old primary school boy, Regard Yusuf, was tricked into leading the attackers to his mother’s hideout, along with other women on Christmas Eve December 24th 2023, during the well-coordinated attacks in Mangur, Bokkos, Plateau State. Consequently, 23 women including the 9-year-old boy and his mother were slaughtered. Veronica Mallan and 9-month-old Godwin Mallan were among those killed. The murderers lied to the boy that he would not be killed but did the exact opposite, sending him to an early grave. A 9-year-old boy and a 9-month-old baby: two young promising lives were among the 160 people killed by the forces of terrorism and wickedness. Only one woman who fell into a ditch while fleeing was left to tell the story.

Tahore village: Hon. Sabo Abang was captured on the night of 24th December and held hostage during the attacks. 3 days later, he was slaughtered like a ram and his fresh dead body dumped near his home on 27th December.

JUTH: Jos University Teaching Hospital, there lies critically ill, a three (3) year old- child was shot at close range during the Christmas Eve/Christmas Day attack. Still in JUTH, lies a 5-year-old girl whose hand was chopped off by the attackers.

When every avenue to peace is lost to a Government that must lead it’s making, getting creative may be the only way to wake traumatized tribes and nation to be woken out of their slumber and come out of depression. This is what the Para-Mallam Peace foundation has employed to create pictures of gory details of the plateau massacre to have it engraved in our memories.

Those scene introduced the press release of The Para-Mallam Peace Foundation, it wishes to use the opportunity of the statement to express their deepest condolences to the entire people of Bokkos Local Government Area, peace-loving Governor HE Barr Caleb Mutfwang and people of Plateau State and Nigerians.

A terrible genocide is taking place in Plateau State but it is being window dressed to look like a clash between Farmers and Herders. What we have is a deadly situation in which Armed Fulani herdsmen described sometimes as Bandits but in a real sense, terrorists who attack other ethnic nationalities in some parts of the State and in most Middlebelt communities. Sadly, false and misleading narratives are created while rivers of blood continue to flow. This is a disservice to the Nigerian nation and humanity. What happened in Bokkos is neither a clash nor retaliatory attack. It is deliberate, targeted, intentional and systematic elimination of whole populations as the pattern has been in some of the Middlebelt communities. Sadly, such killings are disguised and those who firmly should have long taken actions to end this are doing nothing or steps so far taken are not yielding the desired results: Arrest the perpetuators, end the killings and promote sustainable peace are proactive steps so urgently needed NOW. Similar mass and unjustified killings must be brought to an end and ONLY the Federal Government has the constitutional right and authority to bring this about. What happened in Bokkos appears clearly motivated by genocidal intent, land grabbing and occupation by conquest. Should the Plateau State government continue to lament and watch on in helplessness? Should the Federal Government of Nigeria reduce itself to an entity which only issues condolence Press Statements with no tangible results while the carnage continues and the aggressors are never found or prosecuted until another round of similar horrible genocidal attacks take place?

The audacity of wickedness: While the Presidential Team were visiting to condole the people of Bokkos on December 27th, led by the Vice President HE Shettima, National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa and Chief of Defence Intelligence, accompanied by The Executive Governor of Plateau State, HE Barr Caleb Muftwang, Former Governors Joshua Dariye, Senator Simon Bako Lalong, the GOC/STF Major General Abubakar, Police Commissioner Mr Okoro Alawari, two (2) villages were attacked namely: Dun and Bodel and several houses were burnt down.

What is happening on the Plateau is a recurring decimal and cycle of violence which when viewed from the law of proportionality is one-sided. From Dogo Nahawa (2010), Riyom (February 3rd 2014), Barakin Ladi (2018), Miango (2020), Mangu (2023 and now Bokkos (Christmas Eve/Christmas Day (2023). What is wrong with our nation? Why have we ended up with leaders who overlook blatant criminality and engender a system that discourages freedom of religion and belief? Why does the international community remain silent while crimes against humanity are committed with reckless abandonment in Nigeria? Why have Nigerians not unite in their condemnation and concerted action to end the terrorism that is going on in the Middlebelt Savannah region of Nigeria? Why does the global community constantly engage in looking the other way when innocent women and children are being massacred; yet the perpetuators are not called out and prosecuted and the government is yet to take real decisive steps to end the carnage?

The Presidency should not allow itself to be deceived into believing that what is happening in Plateau is a tit for tat situation. It is NOT! To believe so means following a misleading narrative-decoy which will lead to no peaceful solution that is rooted in truth and social justice. Those who defend their families, homes and communities, must not be labelled as engaging in tit-for-tat reprisals. Self-defence is a right upheld by constitutions around the world. The people of Bokkos tried to defend their towns but they were overwhelmed by a fighting force who came bent on carrying out a genocidal mission. The sophisticated weaponry used should concern our government. How come such deadly arms are allowed into the hands of these killers who continue to kill with such reckless abandonment?

According to available facts and statistics provided by Mr. Philip Sati Julson, National President, Butura Development Association and Chairman, Bokkos LGA Association of Chairmen of Community Development which was further corroborated by Hon. Monday Kassah, Transition Chairman of Bokkos LGA, the following is a breakdown of people killed directly from the scenes of attacks in Districts: Butura – 32, one (1) person still missing. Mbar 29, Mangor 44 with 50 injured and three (3) people still missing. Mazat -10 (the same Ron people but located in Barkin Ladi LGA. Bokkos 29, Tangur 6, Mushere 2. The total number of people massacred in cold blood so far on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are now about 160 and they are still counting. Internally Displaced People (IDPs) are estimated to be about 5,000. Eight Churches were burnt down: Baptist, Dares, CAC, Mbomg, COCIN, Maiyanga, COCIN, Ndun, COCIN, Tahore, CAC, Longhair, COCIN, Ngha-buk and COCIN Church Hurum. All the Eight Pastorium were burnt down. Two Pastors: Baptist and Assemblies of God.
A breakdown so far shows that 37 Women, 10 Children, 3 physically challenged persons were burnt in their homes as they were unable to run and 110 men were killed. A total of 25 Villages were attacked in a well-coordinated military style assault. The breakdown of the villages according to districts are as follow: Butura 4, Mbar – 5, Tangur – 4, Bokkos 6, Mushere – 1, Mangor 4 and Mazat – 1. Total Vehicles cars and buses destroyed 8, Motorcycles destroyed 27 and 2 were stolen by the attackers. The total number of houses burnt is about (three hundred and one 301)”. The Para-Mallam Peace foundation said.
Embarrassingly if the carnage was traumatic the silence that greeted such magnitude of insecurity and threat to the sovereignty of our nation in the new year’s speech of Mr President is more shocking. Dr Reuben Abati did not spare the President and his handlers on it at all. The question is how could a team of all most 30 SA Media led by Anjuri Ngalele be unanimous in the need for the President to be silent on a day he needed to renew the hope of Plateau indigenes, Nigerians and the world at large in his renewed hope agenda!

Shocking! The casualty from Russia Ukraine war that has lasted 1 year 10 months, 1 week and 3 days is 10,000 civilians 560 children. United Nations report in 2020 put its projection figure of casualty from insecurity induced by internal terrorism of Boko Haram and allied related activities at 350,000, of direct and indirect causes with indirect accounting for 314,000. It is the business of the Government to bother to find out what the will be the indirect consequences of Plateau genocidal attark that lasted 3 days and left behind close to 200 direct casualty yet deserves no mention from the man entrusted with the protection of our sovereignty. The President of the people killed by wandering aliens within the territory he swore to, by the constitution and the Quran to protect.

The Para-Mallam Peace foundation went further, “However, it would be an error to rashly conclude that the military did nothing. That would be a statement made in emotive anger, without consideration of the facts on the situation in Bokkos. Had the military not stepped in the number of deaths would have been in their thousands. However, in both strategic and tactics, the military should be proactive rather than preventive. The current approach by the military is reactive as they tend to respond when the damage has already been done. This military damage control approach strategy cannot bring about the progress Nigerians desire to see in bringing an end to the killings. Unfortunately, we have now ended up with a black Christmas. Without doubt, the zeal with which the military acted swiftly to de-escalate the violence and killings in Mangu LGA, needs to be sustained. This same urgency needs to be extended to Bokkos in order to swiftly curb the present genocide in Bokkos. The cross-border killings spilling over to Barakin Ladi and Mangu LGAs needs to be stopped as both have had their share of violent attacks in the past.

Sometimes in 2019, during an attack in Waren village in Barkin Ladi LGA by Armed Fulani Herdsmen. They had threatened that a time would come when Christians would not be allowed to celebrate Christmas. They suggested that Christians will be running with their Christmas meat in their hands and will enjoy no peace in eating such meat. Could the current case be evidence of them making good on their threat? This needs to be fully and dispassionately investigated in the search towards sustainable peace and justice as key solutions in bringing an end to this senseless carnage. The Middlebelt is bleeding. Can there be a Nigeria without the Middlebelt? Why is the Middlebelt being turned into Nigeria’s killing fields? If truth be told, Nigeria can’t exist without the Middlebelt. Criminal elements seek to plunge us into darkness using religion in a disguise way. They must be stopped. Today, Nigerians are mourning the senseless Christmas Eve and Christmas Day killings in Bokkos. Nigerians are united in grief: North, South, East, West. Could Bokkos serve as a turning point which could allow the forces of peace overcome the forces of darkness in Nigeria? Our Peace Foundation remains hopeful that peace is possible not only in Plateau State but Nigeria. If the world is interested in ending the killings in Nigeria, let the sad and unprovoked attacks on innocent lives in Bokkos, on Christmas Day, serve to arouse the conscience of the nation and the world to unite and save lives.

The Para-Mallam Peace foundation had reason to Stop Press: “As this Statement was about being released, Mr President sent a powerful Presidential Team to Bokkos, led by Vice President HE Kashim Shettima. After addressing the people in Bokkos, The Vice-President and team, along with the Governor of Plateau State, HE Barr Caleb Muftwang, supported by Former Governors and Senators Simon Bako Lalong, Chief Joshua Chibi Dariye and other invited Stakeholders met in Heipang, Jos, where the VP conveyed the condolences of Mr. President to the people of Plateau State and a passionate plea for peace was made. The Governor spoke on his determination and commitment to partner with Mr President to end the killings in Plateau State. The NSA, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, said: Enough is Enough on these killings and the resounding response from the attendees echoed their approval. As an invitee to the Stakeholders meeting, The Para-Mallam Peace Foundation prays that Bokkos would be the last of such senseless killings. The commitment to end such and the search for peace on the Plateau needs to be collective and sustained. Let the journey begin; not only for peace BUT also ending the killings in the State. Politicizing the killings leads us nowhere but finding the political will as declared by the Governor of Plateau State, to end the killings is the way to go! Positive action leads us somewhere and that destination is peace not only in Plateau State the home of Peace and Tourism but also in Nigeria”.

Silence is said to be consent, the only way to deny consent on the senseless killing is to keep speaking against it. This should be the commitment of all media till Christmas 2024 and if there is no killing on the hills of Plateau we can then celebrate this administration and heave a sigh of relief.

Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi is an Apostle and Nation Builder President Voice Of His Word Ministries, Convener Apostolic Round Table; ART. The BoT Chairman Project Victory Call Initiative, AKA PVC Naija and CEO Masterbuilder Communications.

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