WHY PEACE HAS ELUDED PLATEAU

WHY PEACE HAS ELUDED PLATEAU

Recent attacks on communities in Bokkos and Bassa Local Government Areas of Plateau State, which claimed lives and property have again pushed the issue of violent conflicts, killings and wanton destruction of property in the state to the front burner.

In the latest incidents, which occurred between March 28 and April 16, 2025, surviving residents said over 150 persons were killed and many injured, though security agencies are yet to confirm the actual casualty figures or reveal the cause of the attacks.

For years, Plateau State has experienced numerous crises that differ in scope and dimension.

While some trace the genesis of the conflicts to the crisis at Yelwan Shendam in Shendam Local Government Area of the state which degenerated and almost engulfed the entire state, some say there had been pockets of skirmishes of less proportions that preceded the 2001 Plateau crisis.

Residents recall also the violence that erupted as a result of disagreements over the 2008 local government elections in Jos North Local Government Area and the extent of the damage.

Since then, there have been several conflicts and attacks on communities in the state which have persisted till date.

Those from the attacked communities accuse Fulani herders of launching the recent attacks, but the leadership of the pastoralist community denied the allegation.

Both the farmers and herders have continued to trade accusations blaming each other for spearheading the conflicts and the ensuing atrocities.

Reacting to the recent attacks during a Fashion and Art Exhibition Week, organised by Tincity Fashion in Abuja, the governor of Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwang, was quoted as saying that the Bokkos attacks were beyond herders-farmers crisis, alleging that they were perpetrated by individuals who were bent on instigating violence in the state for selfish interests.

In an interview on Channel Television’s Politics Today recently, Governor Mutfwang said he was not an ethnic bigot; and therefore, didn’t want to accuse any ethnic group of being responsible for the attacks.

Why violence lingers despite interventions

After the 2001 crisis, a commission of inquiry headed by Justice Niki Tobi was set up to identify the remote and immediate causes of the crisis and recommend way of averting recurrence.

After the 2008 crisis, the state government under the then governor, Jonah Jang, set up another panel of inquiry headed by Justice Bola Ajibola, with similar terms of reference while the federal government set up another panel headed by Emmanuel Abisoye.

Despite many interventions by the federal, state and other authorities and various groups, violence has not been kept at bay even as all the interventions came with recommendations for lasting peace.

Various parties in the numerous conflicts have said that lack of sincerity in handling conflicts is the primary reason killings have continued for over two decades, adding that until justice is done, people may continue to suffer.

Some say the lack of political will to implement the recommendations of these commissions of inquiry is also responsible for the lingering conflicts.

Parties speak

Irigwe

The National President of Irigwe Youth Movement (IYM), Ezekiel Bini, said one of the reasons the problems had defied solutions is lack of sincerity.

“There are lies by all the parties. The government has its problems too. The real people who are perpetrating these have never been arrested, and when there is no justice, things will continue to go like this.

“When attacks happen, they tag it as unknown gunmen. When you say unknown gunmen and you set up a committee on peace process and you see people appearing, are they appearing for the unknown gunmen or do they know the unknown gunmen they’re taking the message to? You cannot do something with someone that is faceless. Any attack that takes place, we don’t know who attacked us.

“Definitely, such kind of things will never work. To me, that has been the problem. There is no justice, and the name that is being given to the enemy, you’re giving the enemy more strength to hide under it to perpetuate these evils,” he added.

He said the solution lies in implementing recommendations of interventions.

“We discussed as a committee comprising all parties and came out with 17 recommendations, but none of them were complied with. Now, if the Fulani can come to our communities and build their houses close to us, it would go a long way in restoring confidence among us. They live in isolation.

“When someone lives closer to you, they hardly plan anything against you because they’ll know you can see them. If we live close to each other; nobody will plan evil against anyone. If one does something against the other, it would affect the other. But they refuse to come.

“We’ve been battling with them for five years to come closer to us, but they refused. They only come, graze, and perpetrate evil and go back. When we stay together, the attacks will reduce. When they see evil, they’ll say something. When we see evil, we’ll say something. It will work. If they agree to build houses with our community, the problem will be solved.”

“Secondly, let there be justice. If someone commits a crime, the government should be able to arrest the person and prosecute them. Let there be compensation, and it should not be on one side. It’s only when cattle are killed that there’s compensation. What about people killed? Can the life of a human being be compensated for? Can something be done for the family so that they feel they’ve been carried along? “

Hausa community leader speaks

Sani Mudi, a Jos Hausa community leader said the underlying issues are very well known.

“There is issue of diversity and how to manage it. Management of diversity is a very key issue. People have their own differences either culturally or religiously. The leadership in Plateau seems to have failed in managing the diversity in terms of fairness, equality and justice in leadership. These are some of the initial factors.

“There are long standing issues and even when people complain, government tends to neglect their complaints depending on who is at the helm of affairs and the interests of the person in government at that particular time. It has been discovered that these are some of the issues.

“Again, some people are denied their right simply on account of their background either ethnic or religious background or historical circumstances. When you say someone has been there for 400 years, but does not have the same right with someone who has been there before him. How will you say you came earlier than him in a country that was produced when all of you were together in one place”, he said.

On the way out, he said the indigene, settler dichotomy must be addressed.

“It’s a significant problem that’s perpetuating division among the people of the state. If this matter is resolved, it would foster harmony among all residents. Dialogue is another crucial approach to restoring confidence between the warring parties.

“I firmly believe that dialogue has played a vital role in restoring peace; without it, the situation would be far more dire. Therefore, all issues related to division, discrimination, or marginalisation must be avoided to ensure peaceful coexistence,” he stated.

The recent attack in Bokkos

Chairman of Bokkos Cultural Development Council (BCDC), Farmasum Fuddang, alleged that despite numerous arrests, suspects were rarely prosecuted; a situation he said enabled the problem to persist.

He said, “this issue will continue to claim innocent lives because suspects are not being held accountable. Even if just two individuals were arrested and prosecuted, it would bring relief to those affected. People need to see security agencies taking action, but instead, perpetrators continue to commit heinous crimes without punishment, knowing they will go scot-free.”

For John Moton, a member of the BCDC, the conflicts persist because the truth has been hidden. He said land grabbing is also a factor contributing to the violence.

“We are being denied of our homes and lands; we are unable to cultivate. It is an attack on our existence. There is an attempt to grab people’s lands; that is why the problem is not resolved,” he alleged.

Fulani speaks

The state chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Yusuf Babayo Ibrahim, also said injustice by the authorities contributes to the spread of violence and other criminal activities in the state.

Ibrahim said, “There is no sincerity on the side of the authorities. A crime is only considered if it affects one party. If a crime is committed against the Fulani, it is not recognised. We are part of the state, but we are being segregated against.”

For Abdullahi Garba, the state chairman of Gan Allah Fulani Development Association of Nigeria (GAFDAN), being referred to as settlers has been a contentious issue contributing to disagreements.

He explained, “Other people found us in our various communities, so we are not settlers. Why are we being called land grabbers? Who did we grab land from? You can’t call me a land grabber when I am in my own community. Wherever you see me is my land. This issue has continued to cause problems.”

Concerning the recent attacks, Weekend Trust gathered that several efforts were made by different stakeholders to address the problem.

Residents of the affected communities, government officials, religious leaders, Non Governmental Organisations, and others have made concerted efforts to restore peace to no avail.

Datu Mathias, a farmer in Mangu, said several meetings were held where both Mwagavul and Fulani in Mangu were brought together to identify problems and find solutions. He explained that the Nigerian military and other security services have brought them together to also address the issue. Traditional rulers and government officials have also made efforts to tackle the problems, yet challenges persist. After each meeting, measures are agreed upon, but they often fail to yield lasting results, Weekend Trust gathered.

Mathias said, “we are not happy about the situation. We believe that without peace, there would be no development and we believe that living together with others, you benefit from each other. The situation is really affecting development in our area.

Satmak Bala, also a farmer, said traditional rulers often call for peace meetings between the two parties. He stated, “our paramount ruler in Mangu tells us to embrace peace and shun violence. Many efforts have been made to restore peace; in fact, we’ve had over 15 peace meetings in Mangu,” lamenting that the ongoing conflict is disrupting farming activities. “We’re not happy about it. As someone who loves to farm, if this continues, I won’t be able to go to my farm, which is my only source of income.”

Adamu Saeedu, a herder in Bokkos, also acknowledged the efforts made by various groups and security agencies to address the problem. He praised the NGOs, saying, “they’ve done an excellent job. They’ve called us time and again to hear our grievances and offer advice.”

He noted that in the past two years, the NGOs have organised about ten peace meetings.

Saeedu stated that the conflict is severely affecting them because, “we can no longer rear cattle anywhere. Our movement is limited, and it’s impacting the development of the area. Without peace, there’s no development.”

Sabastine, another farmer in Bokkos, acknowledged the efforts of the stakeholders towards mitigating the conflicts in their community, saying “Some NGOs like Women for Women International,ECWA PEACE DESK among others have tried their best to preach peace amongst the natives and the Fulani to coexist.The situation is really affecting us because there is no free movement. Our movement is restricted for fear of the unknown.”

Plateau government’s efforts

The state’s Commissioner for Information and Communication, Joyce Ramnap, stated that the government had made several efforts in the past to address the conflicts.

She noted that the state government was collaborating with the Federal government to restore peace in the state and rehabilitate displaced persons.

“On the part of government, currently, security personnel have been deployed to the affected communities to end killings”, she said.

She added that as part of efforts to end the killings, recently, the governor inaugurated an inter-religious advisory committee to guide or build a culture of peaceful coexistence across religious bodies.

The commissioner further emphasised the need for security agencies to ensure prosecution of suspected criminals, saying that “once there is an arrest, there should be prosecution”.

We organised joint-farming for waring parties to restore confidence – NGO

The Youth Initiative Against Violence and Human Rights Abuse (YIAVHA), a non governmental organisation, said it worked for some years to organise peace meetings and dialogues for farming and herding communities to remain peaceful with one another in their various communities, including organising joint-farming from farm clearing to harvesting level.

Jacob Choji Pwakim, YIAVHA’s Executive Director said, “in 2021 we organized an intergenerational dialogue through storytelling telling in Barkin Ladi, Riyom, Jos-south and Jos-north. The young people drawn from rival communities worked together and facilitated inter community visits. Some of the young people entered communities they saw as rival for the first time.

“In 2023, we worked in Bokkos where we did same methodology. We hosted Fulani from eight conflict flash points in Riyom to collectively idenitfy key driving factors of conflict and organise joint farming, citizens security meetings and intergenerational dialogue through story telling.

“We have also worked in Mahanga and Jol, Fass and Kwi, Bangai and Rinyan, Rim and Ngyelgagare”, the director said.

Security experts proffer solutions

Security experts spoke on the way forward.

John Danboyi, a conflict practitioner in Jos, noted that crisis in the state persist because the root causes had not been addressed, saying the situation requires a multi-dimensional, holistic approach.

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He explained that bad governance had also contributed to the situation, adding that widespread hunger and limited opportunities drive young people to engage in criminal activities.

“Whenever there’s conflict, authorities only distribute relief materials to victims and forget about the matter. Nobody investigates the real causes, driving factors or the actors. People claim that the conflict is religious in nature, but it is not entirely true. Religion can be a contributing factor, but it is often used as a pretext to escalate the conflict.

He said, “only those affected can bring out solutions to their problems. When they are brought to the table to discuss, they will be able to proffer solutions.”

Also, Dr Salisu Inusa Hassan, a lecturer in the Federal University, Kashere in Gombe State and the GST coordinator for Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution, said destruction of farms and cattle rustling were key factors exacerbating tension between farmers and herders in the affected communities. He emphasised that unless the government takes a decisive action, innocent lives would continue to be wasted.

Hassan said, “At times herders deliberately destroy farms, which raises tension in the communities. Conversely, farming communities intentionally kill or poison cattle belonging to the Fulani, generating tension between the warring parties. These actions are triggers.”

He emphasised that to address the issues, the government, as a key stakeholder, must be objective.

Hassan said all stakeholders, including the government, religious and ethnic groups must adopt a holistic approach and address the root cause of the conflict.

How to end the killings – COAS

In his efforts to restore law and order in the affected communities, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede, in a stakeholders’ meeting last week in Bokkos, said that for peace to reign, people must put their ethno-religious differences aside.

Oloyede also said the conflict could be resolved politically, emphasising that kinetic approach cannot permanently end the killings.

“The fact here is that there are issues that need to be resolved politically because we can’t rely permanently on kinetic approaches to issues.

“The security agencies don’t have the number to deploy personnel everywhere. We must learn to coexist. Peace is possible in Bokkos and Plateau, but that can only be achieved when we all agree to eschew violence and embrace peace,” the COAS said.

Establishment of security task force in 2010 to mitigate conflict

In an effort to curtail the violence, the federal government established the Special Task Force (STF) in 2010, comprising personnel from various security agencies to address the conflict plaguing the state. The STF was later renamed Operation Safe Haven (OPSH). To further ensure peace in every nook and cranny of the state, OPSH created approximately seven sector commands in affected local government areas.

Time line of attacks in five years

Checks by our correspondents revealed that 1,301 people lost their lives in the various crises in Plateau State between 2020 and 2025.

In 2020, 26 persons were killed in various attacks in the state while in 2021, 185 people were killed, 2022, 257; 2023, 490; 2024, 218 and 2025,about 130, so far. And these are only from reported incidents.