THE Plateau State Government has criticised the Nigerian security forces for failing to apprehend the masterminds of the recent killing of 27 farmers in the Tahoss community of Riyom Local Government Area in the state.
The government claimed the Army could not neutralise any of the killers despite being very close to them during the attack.
The state Commissioner for Information, Joyce Ramnap, made the allegation while featuring on Channels Television’s “The Morning Brief” on Friday, July 18.
The ICIR reports that at least 27 farmers, including men and women, were reportedly killed in a fresh attack by gunmen in Bindi-Jebbu of the Tahoss community in Riyom LGA on Monday.
The Chairman of Riyom Local Government Area, Bature Shuwa, stated that the attackers invaded the community, fired indiscriminately and set several houses on fire, adding that many residents were injured, with several victims rushed to hospitals, including the Jos University Teaching Hospital and Plateau Hospital.
Speaking on Channel TV on Friday, the commissioner noted that the community targeted by the attackers was located near an access road with military checkpoints.
“The checkpoint is barely 200 meters from where this incident happened. The response we got was that none were arrested and none were captured.
“It is not a hidden community that we would say it is far, and that is why the people were not able to access help. We do not want to stereotype and say that the entire Army compromised in this case,” Ramnap said.
She pointed out that further investigation was needed and emphasised that the governor had called for at least some arrests to be made.
“If you are that close and you engaged them closely like that, you should be able to say this is where they followed and the measures to arrest them, but so far, no arrest has been made,” the commissioner insisted.
Ramnap condemned the killings in the state and described them as unprovoked and despicable, adding that beyond taking lives, the attackers also invaded farms and destroyed crops.
The commissioner echoed the views of Governor Caleb Mutfwang, who, during his visit to the community on Wednesday, described the growing killings in the state as genocide.
The ICIR reported that the state has become a hotspot for bloodletting.
The state governor described the massacre of over 100 residents and the displacement of thousands by assailants who attacked communities in Bokkos and Bassa Local Government Areas in April as a genocidal attack, alleging that the assault on the region was sponsored and deliberate.
A former governor of the state, Jonah Jang, emphasised that the April crisis was beyond communal clash. He described it as a ploy orchestrated by a known group with a covert agenda.
The ICIR contacted the Army’s Public Relations Officer, Onyechi Appolonia Anele, who directed the reporter to Nantip Zhakom, the spokesperson for the state operations.
After requesting the link to the Channels TV broadcast, which this reporter promptly provided, Zhakom ignored subsequent messages or phone calls to his line.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.