National Assembly Plateau Legislative Caucus on Thursday condemned in
strong terms the forceful takeover of over 52 villages by armed
herdsmen sequel to the killings of innocent indigenes including women
and children.
The lawmakers, who decried the lackadaisical attitude of President
Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to the plight of the victims of the
genocide attacks, tasked Federal Government to exhibit the required
political will to recover those communities and create adequate
security for the fleeing indigenes to return to their ancestral homes
without further delay.
They also argued that the Plateau State Government has admitted that
the ‘cattle ranching policy’ is not a solution to the lingering
crisis, which they described as ethnic cleansing and land grabbing.
Speaking at a press briefing held at the National Assembly, the
lawmakers who dressed in black attires, alleged that despite the
President’s visit to other scenes where the genocide took place,
President Buhari has remained taciturn on the plight of Plateau people
who are facing ethnic cleansing and land grabbing from killer
herdsmen.
The lawmakers asserted that: “the President came and he saw but never
said anything than to say the matter should be handed over to God as
if that is our national policy on security. We are still awaiting his
response to so many issues begging for his attention in our ancestral
land.”
Johnbull Shekarau who spoke on behalf of the caucus said: “We are
alerting the world today that the ethnic minorities in Plateau are
targeted for extinction and annihilation through acts of genocide
being perpetrated by killer herdsmen.
“We note with dismay the statement of the Presidency that we either
accept ranching or continue to face death. In view of the dire
implications of that statement, we demand clarification to its intent
and purpose.”
While reacting to their contemporary from Plateau state, Idris Wase,
the Caucus said: “It is necessary to use this medium to address the
claim of Hon Idris Wase one of our colleagues who openly alluded to
having knowledge of the sponsor of the terror attacks on the Plateau.
“He divulged information that required further probing by the security
agencies. He further asserted that 300 persons from Plateau state were
trained in Israel with no trace of identification or travel documents.
“He (Wase) also alluded to some arms that were imported in containers
and taken to a location known to him in Plateau State. These claims
are weighty and ought to be investigated by the Police. We observed
that Idris said he came across this information during the 2015
transition period and he is only releasing it now.”
According to the lawmakers, to address the failure of security
architecture of the Federation, we find it compelling to reiterate the
resolution of the House at its sitting on Tuesday, 03/07/2018 to
revisit the Constitution Review exercise to empower States to
establish and run State Police.
“We also take the issue of administering relief to the IDPs as a
priority by NEMA to ensure that food, beddings and sanitary items
reach them in good time and in sufficient quantities to avert a
humanitarian crisis in the state.
“We want the people resettled as soon as possible and the perpetrators
dealt with accordingly because we can’t continue in this manner.”
