July 10, (THEWILL) – Civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), on Monday, condemned the renewed attacks and killings of innocent citizens in Plateau State, North Central Nigeria.
HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said the renewed attacks and killings may be politically motivated due to the loss of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the March 18, 2023, governorship election.
The group said the number of deaths recorded since the inauguration of Governor Caleb Mutfwang is alarming and security agencies must immediately halt the genocidal trend by going harder on the aggressors, who have perpetually masqueraded as Fulani herders.
On Saturday night, gunmen attacked the Sabon Gari Community of Mangu Local Government Area (LGA) of the State, where 12 persons were killed and six houses completely razed down.
The Governor subsequently imposed a 24-hour curfew on the Local Government whilst the Commander of Operation Safe Haven, Maj.-Gen. Abdusalam Abubakar, was said to have temporarily relocated the headquarters of the operation to Mangu.
Saturday night’s attack is the latest in the string of renewed attacks since the election of the new Governor, who is from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). On June 11, gunmen killed at least 21 people. Between 15 and 17 May, over 100 people were killed in Mangu.
Houses were torched and the number of internally displaced persons increased in many communities. Some of the other communities affected by heavy killings include Kukawa, Gyambawu, Dungur, Kyaram, Yelwa, Dadda, Wanka, Shuwaka, Gwammadaji and Dadin Kowa among others
HURIWA’s Onwubiko said, “The series of attacks in Plateau in the last 40 days or so showed that the security model in the state has totally collapsed. The several killings across the state’s 17 Local Government Areas and even the unreported ones are disturbing.
“The renewed attacks in Plateau may be politically motivated due to the loss of power by APC. There is a need to investigate that angle. The frightening statistics of casualties of the renewed genocide in Plateau since APC lost Plateau to PDP are alarming.
“The heads of the security forces in Plateau State including the Department of State Services, the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, Civil Defence and others have all failed in stamping out killer armed Fulani killers.
“The renewed killings in Plateau must stop forthwith and security agencies must immediately take responsibility and put killer Fulani herders in their place.”
