Killings in Plateau. Not again!

There is mass outrage and anger over the latest killings in Plateau state and the anger is justified.

When normal humans were planning to enjoy and celebrate Christmas with their families, demons in human forms unleashed one of the worst attacks in recent years on residents of Bokkos, Barkin Laddi and Mangu in Plateau, leaving over 200 people dead.

For how long can we continue like this? In this same Plateau, over 100 persons in Mangu/Bokkos federal constituency — most of them women and children — were massacred and butchered in cold blood by terrorists during an overnight unprovoked attack in May this year.

Expectedly, we have been hearing condemnation from the president down to the ministers and we wait for another round of killings followed by another condemnation. This has to stop.

The problem is clear but we have been dancing around the problem. It’s a case of all motion and no movement.

In this attack, I read there were about 37 distress calls to the security agencies and nothing was done and all we heard from the defence headquarters was that the terrain was difficult. That should arguably be the most asinine and insensitive statement I have read from the defence headquarters.

I also saw on TV a general trying to justify the incompetence of his troops and now rubbing salt on the injury, saying the killings could have been worse. I think the general should be immediately deployed from Plateau state as he just showed on national television that he lacks competence.

Also, one of the victims was narrating how he was attacked and said he recognised some of the attackers and they even called his name. This shows we are dealing with familiar demons and not some unknown gunmen.

I also read that terrorists have written letters to some other communities. So are we going to wait till another 300 people are killed before the military moves in and takes out all these bloodthirsty demons?

When Vice-President Kashim Shettima visited Plateau, he said he would not rest until the victims of the gruesome attacks get justice and the residents are safe.

I expect to see positive action in that direction now.

The question is why have successive administrations failed to end the Plateau killings? From President Olusegun Obasanjo to President Bola Tinubu, it is still the same problem.

We have had at least 10 service chiefs since 1999 and still the same problem. What does the adversary want, what do the indigenes want? They should find a political solution to end these killings.

We have heard the killings are ethnic cleansing; political or criminal. No matter what guise it is, the killings should end now.

Sometimes I want to believe the allegations by the Middle Belt Forum that there is a deliberate attempt at ethnic cleansing.

Also, on Thursday, bandits killed 8 persons in Taraba state. The ethnic nationalities of the Middle Belt are facing the threat of being wiped out by terrorists who are not ready to give up.

The killings have continued unabated because no arrests have been made or attempts by the military to take out the terrorists. So the terrorists have been emboldened to carry out more attacks.

There are also allegations of complicity of security officers in the killings. The Chief of Defence Staff, Chris Musa, should as a matter of urgency investigate these grave allegations and anyone found guilty should face the full wrath of the law.

President Tinubu has the opportunity to etch himself into the history books by ending all these killings in Plateau and other parts of the country.

The last time I checked, Section 14B of the 1999 Constitution as amended stipulates that the welfare and security of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.

President Tinubu should give service chiefs till the end of the first quarter of next year to end the killings or they should proceed to retirement.

In the next week, we want to see positive actions and anger from the military. The reputation of the military is at stake. No individual or group should be bigger than the Nigerian state.

The bloodthirsty terrorists are not ready to shift ground and are hell-bent on wiping out these communities, the military should also not relent until the terrorists are wiped out. This is not about ethnicity or religion but the survival of humanity.