THE last 10 years has seen the inhabitants of the Middle Belt region, including states like Kwara, Kogi, Benue, Plateau, Taraba, Nasarawa and Niger, as the target of gunmen. They come with their A-K 47 and other sophisticated weapons to kill at will and go scot free, leaving the affected communities with the painful task of mass burial. As the people wail after each attack, security agencies pacify them with the promise to go after the gunmen and bring them to book. But in the last decade, no one has been brought to justice. Worse still, the gunmen remain unknown till date. Even in recent times when an identifiable group of people come out to claim responsibility for the killings in the zone, like it happened in Benue State recently, the relevant government agencies still find it difficult to ensure justice.
The protests carried out by Middle Belt youths in Jos, Plateau State capital, a few days ago after some leaders of the zone had summoned courage to publicly tell their people to defend themselves only reveals the fact that the frustration of the people has got to the level of open demonstration and expression of lack of confidence in the system. Known as Middle Belt Youths Arise, the youths staged a protest to tell whoever cared to listen that they were more than frustrated by the killings in their zone. The claim that the population of the people in the zone has been depleted by thousands is not a tale by moonlight. The number of mass graves in Southern Kaduna, Plateau, Taraba, Kogi and Benue states serves as evidence of the deadly attacks many have been tempted to describe as ethnic cleansing.
The protesters, who were at Plateau State House of Assembly’s complex to submit their message of protest to the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Peter Azi, said: “For the past 10 years, our land has been under intense siege by armed herdsmen who have become a nightmare to our people. We are gathered today amidst the cries of the helpless and those broken by the spate of these attacks. “We have lost loved ones, both young and old. We have suffered destruction of homes and old settlements, hospitals, schools, farms and farm produce, and have been driven in many cases from our native homes by these marauders. The insurgents’ attacks have maimed villagers and destroyed properties worth billions of naira. They have operated clandestinely to take advantage of our vulnerability. ‘’Often in their death row are women and children, who are the worst hit in these attacks on our communities because of their vulnerability, demonstrating clear attempts at ethnic cleansing of our people. They can attack us, but they cannot attack the values that hold us as a people.
They may kill us, but they cannot kill the spirit of the Middle Belt which cries within us, seeking justice for its marginalised children. We are a people of life and we offer this life to these killers as an alternative to death which they bring to us and our peace loving lands. We shall not succumb to the fear and terror which they preach.’’ The youths said: “Each day, we wake to news of killings across our region. We are further plunged into despair especially with the nature of the killings where the rules of conflict are disregarded, women are killed in their most vulnerable state of sleep, children and the unborn made special targets of these armed militia, those in the farms are ambushed by men behind the leaves, no one is spared. “First, we look to our government and offer the olive branch because we demand concrete action to stop these killings immediately. Our people are attacked and the security forces who should protect them come to the scenes of these attacks and rather than chase the armed herdsmen, turn the searchlight on the innocent victims who are nursing the pains of their losses. “Henceforth, if these attackers are left unchecked, our people will understand that the government is complicit.
There are also sinister plots to silence the communities who suffer these losses through information suppression by the sponsors of the armed herdsmen aimed at stopping these atrocities from coming to the public domain. We have the records of the ongoing pogrom and shall make them known to the world. “We strongly agree with the recent statement made by a highly respected general and elder statesman, T. Y. Danjuma, a venerable son of this land. We value all those men of our esteemed military who through history have served this land in military sacrifice and demonstrated to the world and Nigerians that trust can be held with honor for the people. “We shall not allow further attacks on our communities and so the government must rise to the occasion! We have a constitutional right to self-defence. We citizens of the Middle Belt region hold our armed forces in high esteem and believe they are capable of stopping the killings by armed herdsmen” The youths alleged that the method of killing by gunmen in the zone had been extended to destroying the means of survival of surviving residents.
In most of the attacks in the zone, they said, food and grains reserves are also destroyed so that those who survive the attack would starve to death. The protesters put it this way: “The tentacles of insecurity are far-reaching. The threat is grave for food production because the conflicts are in the agricultural belts of the Benue – Niger valley where food is produced not only for Nigeria but for West Africa. Particularly, farms are targeted and destroyed, farmers are killed and terror holds sway in our rural communities. This has a natural outcome: the looming food shortage. We rise and condemn the plan to dislocate our communities from their land.” They lamented that “the government of the day has correctly emphasised agriculture in the new drive for diversification, which is laudable. But the gains are being reversed by the high spate of insecurity. Rural populations from the Middle Belt who are mainly agrarian now live in Internally Displaced Persons Camps with no hope of returning to their respective villages. “The conditions of these Internally Displaced Persons camps leave so much to desire because of their poor living conditions. We demand from the government accelerated efforts to see that all villagers in the Middle Belt and beyond displaced by conflicts are resettled back in their villages and all lands forcibly occupied by the armed herders returned to the lawful owners. “The consistent attacks on defenseless communities in the zone have brought about forced migration.
Conflicts give birth to forced migration. Our recent data shows that the rate of migration in terms of rural – urban drifts on one hand has increased. On another hand, there is significant increase in migration especially of young men and women to Europe and other climes in search of better livelihood. “We the Middle Belt Youth Arise group appeal to all stakeholders and partners both nationally and internationally to assist in creating these “sought for” environments in the Middle Belt region to reverse this trend. “This will involve the provision of security and the basic infrastructure to support life in the Middle Belt. We demand from the government concrete action to deal with the insecurity and replace all damaged infrastructure. “We emphasise a shift of emphasis from retributive justice to restorative justice for our people. We call on government and partners to work with us on a blueprint which is being developed. We are convinced that this will help in no small measure in reversing the economic dislocation our people have suffered.”
On the same day The Middle Belt youths protested, women from Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, who have been turned into widows and rendered homeless, also took their protest to the state’s House of Assembly. The women, who came particularly from Daffo village, appealed to the House to intervene in the humanitarian crisis caused by the recent attacks by armed herdsmen. The leader of the protesting Daffo women, Mrs. Matawal Comfort said: “It is no longer news that Daffo, District, a community of about 25,000 people of voting age, was recently hit by violent attacks by criminal elements believed to be herdsmen who have been resident in the host communities for years. “Our cries with regards to the devastating carnage that occurred on January 24, 2018 at Farundong-Hai and March 8, 2018, which started from Nghakudung and spread to seven other villages, leading to 32 deaths, 10 severe injuries, displacement of over 7,000 people from nine villages and the missing of 10 others are contained in different media reports and official petitions. “We wish to acknowledge the prompt response of the government—civil and military authorities—to the aforementioned attacks which culminated in the deployment of troops to suppress the violence and prevent further loss of lives and property.
Though grossly inadequate, we believe that without such rapid response, the attacks could have deteriorated to catastrophic proportions. “However, it is imperative to call the attention of the government at all levels, security agencies, civil societies, the media, religious bodies and other kindspirited individuals to the prevailing and/or incipient humanitarian situation facing us the victims of those attacks. “Presently, we, numbering at least 7,000, comprising mainly women and children, are faced with the most threatening state of healthcare, destitution, poverty, hunger and food insecurity as a result of the violent displacements during the attacks. “Already, many of us have been completely thrown off balance, having parted with their lifetime investments in food crops, houses and other properties.
Many again still face threats of losing their farmlands to the marauding herdsmen who are reported to have commenced trespass into our farmlands, clearing and tilling, obviously for the purpose of cultivation as the farming season approaches. This is in addition to the trauma already built up in our minds and the fear of insecurity which might not allow us resume and face our normal socio-economic lives with the required vigour to flourish.” In the light of the above, the protesting women demanded that “adequate security should be provided for the affected communities and the same strategy employed to guard farmers in the northeast and elsewhere on their farms. Considering that the 2018 rainy season has commenced, any further delay in ensuring that these villagers return to their ancestral homes and farmlands would create severe food shortage and debilitating poverty.” They also demanded that sufficient food, clothing and other necessities of life should be urgently supplied to them to reduce their sufferings and enable them face life with ease.
