Plateau State Governor Caleb Muftwang has labeled the ongoing deadly attacks in the state as “genocide sponsored by terrorists,” following a recent devastating assault in Bokkos Local Government Area (LGA) that resulted in over 50 deaths and widespread displacement.
Speaking on Channels Television on Tuesday, Governor Muftwang voiced profound frustration with the persistent violence and urgently called for robust security intervention and the identification of those orchestrating the attacks.
“I can tell you in all honesty that I cannot find any explanation other than genocide sponsored by terrorists,” Governor Muftwang stated emphatically. “The question is, who are the persons behind the organisers of this terrorism? This is what the security agencies must help us to unravel.”
The governor asserted that the attacks transcend the traditional narrative of farmer-herder clashes, representing a calculated campaign aimed at the systematic elimination of entire communities.
“We must come to the point where we know the sponsors because it is not just the work of ordinary people. This is being sponsored from somewhere,” he added.
In recent weeks, numerous communities within Bokkos LGA and other regions of the North-Central state have been targeted, resulting in the destruction of homes and the forced displacement of thousands. Governor Muftwang revealed the alarming statistic that at least 64 communities across Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, and Riyom LGAs have been forcibly occupied by armed groups.
“As I am talking to you, there are not less than 64 communities that have been taken over by bandits on the Plateau. They have been taken over, renamed, and people are living there conveniently on lands they pushed people away to occupy,” he disclosed.
Plateau State has long been susceptible to ethno-religious and resource-based conflicts. However, the current scale and intensity of the violence, including a massacre that claimed nearly 200 lives during Christmas 2023, have ignited serious concerns about a deepening security crisis.
Governor Muftwang implored Nigeria’s security agencies to collaborate effectively and provide the crucial intelligence needed to halt further bloodshed.
“I am sure that in the coming days, the security agencies will work together – not at cross purposes but in unison – to be able to bring out the requisite intelligence that will help us to put this matter behind us,” he concluded.
Plateau Governor Declares “Genocide” as 64 Communities Fall Under Terrorist Control
