Fulani herdsmen were yesterday attacked Zayit Village in Plateau State.
The Attack which result to lost of 39 years old man named Dung Chung, was carried out by Fulani herdsmen at Foron District, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area (Area) of Plateau State.
Narrating the said incident, Solomon the eyewitness said, “At about 2:20pm of today, 11/5/2019, armed Fulani herdsmen attacked local farmers of Zayit village of Foron District, Barkin Ladi LGA of Plateau State at a farm-site. As a result, one person by name Dung Chung aged 49 was shot dead while other farmers narrowly escaped into a nearby bush as reported by Mr Luka Chung who, by phone, called Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, Esq. informing him that, ” a mass herds of Cows with herders in black Coats advanced towards where we were cultivating our farmlands. We thought it was just grazing of Cow not knowing that they came purposely to kill for no reason known to us”, he said.
He further said that the incident was reported to security agents who visited the scene of the attack to guarantee security of the locals during burial of the deceased person.
It’s a known fact that Zayit and Abonong villages were heavily invaded by armed Fulani in August, 2018 leading to killing of over 20 persons including a pastor alongside some of his family members and at least 46 houses with valuables worth millions of Naira set ablaze by the marauders. With great dismay, there has never been presence of security personnel stationed in any of the affected villages up to date despite the continued threats and actual attacks on the vulnerable villages.
It’s disheartening to also note that ever since the Zayit and Abonong as well as other neighbouring villages that had suffered similar tragic experiences, Government presence in terms of relief materials intervention has never been witnessed as narrated by the responding local.
In view of the above, Government at all levels are hereby implored, as a matter of urgency, to-
1. Deploy Mobile Police personnel to the distressed villages affected to guarantee safety of the local farmers not only in their places of abode, but also on their farms especially now that raining season has commenced in honesty;
2. Provision of Relief materialized and other humanitarian interventions accorded to victims of Book Haram in the Northeast be extended to victims of Fulani herdsmen in Abonong and Zayit of Foron District in Barkin Ladi LGA as well as other affected Plateau communities in Bassa, Riyom, Barkin Ladi, Bokkos and part of Mangu LGAs where thousands of local inhabitants have been rendered homeless whereas the attackers are haughtily moving freely.
3. Lands grabbed through sacking of native inhabitants by way of terror attacks perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen and their cohorts be reverted to the locals who are very desirous of resettling in their ancestral lands. This will be greatly achieved when Mobile Police personnel are permanently stationed in the affected areas.
Civil Society Organizations are also called upon to step up necessary actions including advocacy programs both locally and internationally by raising the profile of humongous plight of Plateau crisis victims for possible humanitarian interventions, for such will invariably raise up hope and psychosocial calmness in the minds of the most neglected members of human family.
In the same vein, locals in all vulnerable villages/communities and volatile areas are hereby urges to be watchful and immediately report to appropriate authorities any suspicious movement for immediate intervention.
By Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, Esq.
Emancipation Centre for Crisis Victims in Nigeria.
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