Bandits now control 64 communities in Plateau, says Mutfwang

Caleb Mutfwang, governor of Plateau, says bandits have taken over 64 communities in his state. 

He added that the latest killings in Bokkos LGA are “sponsored and genocidal”.

The Bokkos Cultural Development Council (BCDC) reported on April 4 that suspected bandits killed over 10 people, with the death toll later rising to 52.

The attack came seven days after some gunmen attacked the Ruwi community in Bokkos LGA as mourners gathered in the home of a deceased.

Speaking on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ on Tuesday, Mutfwang blamed unnamed terrorist groups for the carnage, alleging that the attacks were sponsored by yet-to-be-identified individuals.

“I can tell you in all honesty that I cannot find any explanation other than genocide sponsored by terrorists,” the governor said.

“The question is, who are the persons behind the organisers of this terrorism? This is what the security agencies must help us to unravel.

“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.

“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.”

‘BANDITS HAVE TAKEN OVER 64 COMMUNITIES’

The Plateau governor, who decried the incessant attacks, said bandits have taken over 64 communities across Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, and Riyom LGAs, displacing villagers in the state.

“If these attacks have been going on for close to 10 years, it tells you that there is a deliberate, conscious attempt to clean out populations and to reopen,” he added.

“As I am talking to you, there are not less than 64 communities that have been taken over by bandits on the Plateau between Bokkos, Barkin Ladi and Riyom local government areas.

“They have been taken over, renamed, and people are living there conveniently on lands they pushed people away to occupy.”

The attacks are the latest in a series of assaults on Plateau, which has, in the past, recorded similar incidents.

On the eve of Christmas in 2023, over 115 persons were confirmed dead following attacks by gunmen on communities in Bokkos and Barkin Ladi LGAs of the state.

On April 18, 2024, gunmen killed at least 12 people in Tilengpat community of Pushit district in Mangu LGA of Plateau.

Days before, gunmen killed at least 10 residents of Mandar Shar and Kopnanle villages under Mangu and Bokkos LGAs.

Several villagers were injured, with the attackers destroying a slew of properties.