Plateau crisis: ‘Bandits occupying seven villages’ – Community leader

A community leader in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, Da Yohana Margif, who is the Waziri Mushere, has raised an alarm over the occupation of seven villages in his domain by Fulani militants after displacing the natives from their ancestral homes.

Da Margif, who disclosed this in a statement on Friday, listed the occupied villages as Hokk, Kaban, Kadim, Nawula, Dulu, Mbor, and Margif, and called on the government and security agencies to come to their aid so that the displaced indigenes can go back to their lands.

According to Da Margif, the seven communities, all in the Mushere Chiefdom, were attacked and ravaged by the terrorists, killing many of the inhabitants and displacing thousands who all fled to safer locations.

The community leader said that for over three months now, the beleaguered communities had been under relentless terrorist attacks and siege, forcing them to flee their ancestral homes to take shelter at Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP) camps.

He added that the Fulani invaders, after sacking the communities, would then change their original native names to Fulani names and begin building their tents with their cattle grazing on farmlands with impunity.

Da Margif lamented that thousands of his people have been forced to live on rocks and “roaming in the wilderness” at a time when they are supposed to be on their farms, while the Fulani people are living comfortably in their ancestral lands.

The Fulani terrorists have set up tents in our lands on which their cattle are grazing, which is visible for everybody to see,” he said.

“They have built tents and are openly carrying guns around. They have practically and brazenly usurped our lands and livestock.

“Now that the terrorists’ identity is known, let the relevant authorities direct the security agencies to go after them, so that our people can return to their ancestral homes.”