HURIWA backs Gov Mutfwang, says attacks in Plateau are coordinated genocide

Civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has backed the claim by the Governor of Plateau state, Caleb Mutfwang who reportedly stated that the frequent bloody attacks by suspected armed herders are coordinated acts of genocide against the native people of Plateau state.

Besides, HURIWA has reminded President Bola Tinubu that his primary constitutional duty is to provide security to the lives and property of citizens just as the Rights group said since the heaviest Christmas Eve 2023 attacks on many Plateau state communities in which over 150 Plateau natives were gruesomely slaughtered by suspected armed herders, the security forces have failed to arrest the key sponsors neither have any of the real killers known to have been arrested, prosecuted and punished sternly in compliance with the extant laws against mass murders.

In a statement signed by its national coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA advocated that rather than shout just like a mere observer, the president of Nigeria who has all the powers to command armed security forces should mandate the relevant commanders to go after the sponsors and the killers within a given timeline or be dismissed from their positions in the armed forces of Nigeria.

“HURIWA is miffed that the people of Plateau State have been subjected to persistent attacks by bloodthirsty terrorists who are suspected to be armed herders but for many years, the intelligence community and the entire architecture of national security seemed either compromised or incapable of sniffing out the real sponsors who are responsible for engaging freelance armed non-state actors known as herders.

“The federal government through the office of the president that controls and commands the armed forces have continued to make empty rhetorics and threats to arrest the killers but nothing happens and after few days of national and apparent outrage, the entire story of the killing spree in Plateau state dies down and the country and its government return to business as usual as if those precious lives wasted and killed extra-legally means nothing and then after a while these daredevil terrorists would be re-engaged to again unleash devastating and blood cuddling violence on Plateau state communities and another vicious circles of verbal condemnation is triggered on and on and on.

“This is not how civilised countries protect their citizens from terrorists,” the group said.

HURIWA recalled that Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State had said that the sustained attacks in communities in the state should not be described as conflicts between herders and farmers but should be defined in their proper perspective, which, according to him, is a genocide against the Plateau natives.

Governor Mutfwang, however, affirms the State’s commitment to fighting insecurity, saying the Plateau spirit of peace, unity, and hospitality remains unbroken.

HURIWA expressed solidarity with the affirmations made by the Plateau state governor and therefore has challenged President Tinubu to return to Nigeria from his globetrotting gambit and lead the fight from the front by clearly instructing his security heads to take the necessary combative steps and foolproof security initiative to bring the sponsors of the Plateau genocide to book. “We suggest to President Tinubu that he suspends any further international trips for one year and stay home to confront the expanding frontiers of sophisticated crimes and heightened insecurity in Nigeria. The failure of the nation’s security architecture has led us to this sorry state.

“We are more than convinced that those who are behind the incessant attacks by Fulani terrorists masquerading as herders are known to the security forces but it is either that those who are at the head of these security forces are protecting these dangerous sponsors of terrorism targeted against the largely native and Christian population of Plateau state or are just absolutely incompetent and ineffective and therefore a rejig in the security architecture is necessary at this time.

“We also think that there is actually a religious jihad or war being waged against the people of Plateau state with the larger goal of capturing their resource rich landed assets and rendering the owners of the land of Plateau state homeless. The Nigerian Government needs to wake up and view the Plateau genocide as a major threat to Nigeri’s national security. This is because those who are perpetrating these ethno-religious genocide under the guise of searching for greener pastures for their cattle, are members of a network of Islamic warriors whose intellectual leaders had in the past openly made claims that Benue State belongs to Fulani. So these killings are very well coordinated and the earlier the security forces work for the greater good of Nigeria and combat these terrorists the better for Nigeria. We think that the same dark forces protecting Turji Bello from being captured or neutralised may also be covering up for the terrorists wrecking havoc in Plateau state”, HURIWA concluded.