1. Introduction
Our State of Plateau is back in the news for the usual bad reasons. It was not as if the bad news had gone actually. For the umpteenth time, please stop calling the terrorists activities in central Nigeria as a crisis between Farmers and Herders. It is not a crisis, it is terrorism pure and simple! The definition of terrorism is “the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.”
Perhaps it is that, what happened is shocking to people outside the State. Fulani terrorists shifted operational focus and base from Riyom, Mangu and Bassa concentrating on Bokkos and Barkin Ladi villages. These are different Local Govt Areas that adjoin each other sharing similar vegetation, climate and soil formation. These areas alongside portions of Jos North and South Local Govt Areas have received unrelenting terrorism since 2001. For emphasis, I mean for twenty years and counting now.
After each bouts which have come with ferocious and audacious intensity, since the coming of President Muhammadu Buhari and the likes of former Governor El-Rufai in Kaduna, business goes as usual. In this yet another vexatious episode, about 120 human beings are dead while about 221 houses by official figures are burnt down and everywhere is calm.
2. The Fatigue Of Reactions
As usual, Politicians would always raise the bar of irresponsibility and opportunism commensurate to our fatigue of revulsion and expectations. We are tired of protesting and getting angry. They are tired of pretending to act. For instance our Governor has asked his people to say something and condemn the attacks while he and other Governors go to collect happy Christmas in Lagos from the President. The President himself has also asked his people to put out a message to also say something about the attacks. Nobody will be arrested nor questioned or queried or sacked! Life goes on politics goes on until the next attacks.
Politicians and their partners-in-crime, the top echelons of the security formations have learned to pay very perfunctory and predictable lip service to the whole carnage. They don’t bother much because they know that we have developed fatigue of reacting or protesting and we will forget and move on in a matter of because we have developed thick skin as a result of constant disappointment from them. And predictably, they rarely surprise us with their culpable nonchalance. We the direct victims who live in these thoroughly terrorized areas have always adjusted our pain and suffering-quotient to match the often progressive severity of suffering and loss.
For instance, I and many of our people are no longer surprised to hear that an attack has taken place. This explains the seeming lack of open reaction. We have developed a reaction fatigue syndrome because as they say it is ‘one too many.’ Here in Riyom I am accustomed to expect an attack any time because it is the daily routine. Gun shots, grazing or outright burning down of farm crops are no longer news. All we do is ask how many people were killed then get ready to welcome the endless supply of the displaced and injured. We no longer ask why the attacks happen or what the security formations like the army and others did to help the situation. To be fair to the soldiers on ground, they are suffering this cycle of terror like us because they sleep in the cold and are used as canon fodder. This Christmas we heard the scandal that some of them were not paid their very scandalously meagre salaries and non-existent allowances. We have come to NOT expect much from the Government and other levels of officials like our legislators or the top security agents except sweet and sometimes insensitive talk.
3. What Has The Government Done About It?
Those therefore, who are asking what the Govt and security formations are doing or have done are naive. They do the usual face saving measures of showing up in commando military style for a few days to harass the battered survivors and everyone else. If it is convenient, they will offer a few half hearted statements of condemnation, then appeal for calm. No official will visit for on the spot assessment nor will anyone answer any queries or suffer sanctions. On some occasions, they will actually give admonishments to we the victims on how to stop provoking the terrorists by our freedom of movement and right to economic and social activities such as farming and celebrations.
I hear our Governor who went to Lagos on a bloody Christmas and was all smiles snapping pictures with President Tinubu is back because the Tinubu he went to collect or give happy Christmas to is the one doing all that he should be doing. Tinubu tweeted to condemn and condole us then send a delegation of the Vice President and others.
What visiting a scene of crime does is send a clear message to the criminals that this space is not an ungoverned territory, we are aware of it and are interested in keeping as part of our sovereign space. It further inspires the community to be stronger and have more faith in the Government.
When they say Governors don’t have power to stop violence I say it is a lie. When it suits them they know how to form their own force group to steal elections but to protect the people they claim they are waiting for Abuja. If a Governor is serious and cares he knows what to do. Not that he is a model of good governance, but what made Samuel Ortom of Benue state survive his less than stellar tenure as Governor was because he was the Chief mourner and fearless protagonist of his people. He sends out the stories and amplify their plights.
4. Plateau State Is Another Gaza
When they say that Gaza in Arab Palestine, is the largest open prison in the world, I say it is because they don’t know the situation of people in Riyom, Bassa, Barkin Ladi, Bokkos and Mangu. These places are the biggest open prison in the world not Gaza. This is because they form a strip just like Gaza but are eight times the size of Gaza strip. Here there are no roads, electricity, water, functional schools and clinics. No cameras or media to report the atrocities. Fulani people are kings and lords here. Even the few security officials who are give a semblance of government presence, pander to them and seek amity with them nit to talk of the locals. I suspect that people of Southern Kaduna and Benue will share my sentiments when I say that everytime I watch the horror dehumanizing happenings in Gaza I see a replication of what is happening in our places.
The distinctive image of Gaza is the complete impunity with which the Israelis operate there. Whenever I watch the war and see the way the Israelis carry their operations unopposed, with utter cold heartedness, I see my place here where the Fulanis decide when you can sleep or not sleep. In fact anything else about your entire life. It is reported that before this edition of the killing spree the Fulanis had hinted the villagers that they will celebrate this Christmas running with their meat in their hands. The indignity, impunity and total chaos visited on the people of Gaza has always been replicated here for more than 20 years.
Of course, this is not to minimize in anyway the sheer inhumanity and wanton deaths in Gaza that has prevented perhaps for the first time in modern history, the Christians and Muslims of Bethlehem from celebrating Christmas Vigil at the Church of the Nativity (where it all happened 2023 years ago) as is the usual custom every year. I assure you that if you feel bad about Gaza you should extend that feeling to our situation here in Plateau State. We live in steep social decline, economic emasculation, spiritual suffocation and cultural assault. For instance a Fulani terrorist alongside his friends can show up at a house, capture any woman of his fancy whether married or not in the presence of her father or husband, rape her for days or weeks in their settlements then return them to us when they are done. On the farmland women cannot work or walk alone. If you have the courage to report to the Police and soldiers they will advic you to make peace with the perpetrators. If a Fulani man fancies your farm land or irrigated vegetable plantation or your economic trees such as banana and Mango etc then just forget about it because it is his already.
As we interact, there are about 40 settlements that have been violently appropriated by the Fulanis between these Local Govt Areas of Bassa, Riyom, Barkin Ladi, Bokkos and Mangu. You can wake up and see a settlement of Fulani houses on your farm land any day any time and you dare not so much as approach not to talk of asking questions. Our will be lucky to escape with your life. For little proof, I invite those who travel the roads through Jos to Abuja or Akwanga to look sideways the stretch between Riyom and Forest. The all glittering roof sheets in settlements you see in the distance are loves of recent annexations of land and farms that the Fulanis have completed.
This is exactly what happens in Palestine between Israel and Arabs. Here the Fulanis are the Israelis who do as they like while we the natives are the Arabs who receive the brunt of their pernicious activities.
While the State Government waits for the Federal Government to solve our problems, the Federal Government claims it is doing it’s best, looking for excuses even where non exist. All the budget on security ends in Abuja.
5. Plateau Politicians And Citizens Are Not Patriotic
I don’t understand why we think this Fulani terrorists problem is the problem of only the areas presently terrorized. I don’t understand why we think the Federal Government will solve this problem rather than ourselves.
Unfortunately, we have come to the point where the fear of hunger and poverty have caused a sharp division among us the result of which is that we have lost our heads, minds and sense of shame. We are so buried in emotions and sentiments that saying the truth is no longer wise. Those who dare to talk are situated and factored in political and tribal binoculars. This has made every well meaning citizen is afraid to talk because we don’t want to be labeled. Tell me how else to completely finish a people. There is no sabotage better than manipulated to be silent in the face of moral and existential imperatives.
The silence in our state from the people that should talk and shout in the face of this existential danger is complicit, culpable and abominable. This silence is neither holy, dignified nor golden.
We complain that Fulani terrorists are doing us but we are now the terrorists to ourselves. It is a shame that today in our state we cannot have a civil conversation about politics and good governance. It soons descends to the arena of tribe and religion. When you speak the first thing is what is your tribe and what is your religion and worst still what is your church?
Greg Madder said “the world would be in a better place if 95% of the population weren’t afraid to tell even their best friend if they have a difference of opinion.”
An African proverb says when two brothers fight to the death an enemy comes to and inherits their property. Most of our Politicians are cowards, dumb and wicked. All they know is how to divide the people meanwhile an enemy is at the gates already waiting to enter. Imagine that today we claim to be a Christian state but our politics is all about bare faced lies. No performance review. Our State is one fo the worst in all indices. All a politician needs to succeed in Plateau State is not performance but to take say he is a Christian and a member of this Church; he is this tribe and so on.
No intellectual content or sophistication of thought in their engagements. We pretend to fight the Fulani as common enemy but undo all the gains by playing dirty politics. They don’t care about us. They are hypocrites who are only interested in having access to resources. All our politics in Plateau is bile and poison. The scandal is that we the Clergy that are dying with the people in the villages have failed ourselves. Our activities at the last election is just shameful and unfortunate. We have let down the people and shown ourselves as empty headed, cash and carry and fallen into moral and spiritual bankruptcy. It seems we are worst than the politicians because we bear the greater burden of the toxic political atmosphere we now have. We are supposed to be leaders of the people beginning with the politicians but we have ended up as their errand boys for dirty dealings.
All of the politicians are not Plateau State indigenes. They are either PDP or APC or Labor Party. They are either Catholics or COCIN. They are either Berom or Ngas or Goemai. I mean why won’t the tribes of Plateau come together and show solidarity and end this nonsense. We in these villages feel absolutely alone and it is the truth. I mean how many of them have spoken and staked our their neck for us. Not even a finger.
One of the issues as I hear that got Joshua Dariye into prison is the role he played in the Nshar (Yelwan-Shendam) crisis. As Governor, he stood with the people. Today we have peace in that place and everybody can rest because consequences have been dished out. For all his crimes which he went to prison for he remains popular because he shared money to even his enemies and stood up to the true spirit of Plateau. After people like JD Gomalk who was killed for being pro Middle Belt and Solomon Lar the Middle Belt emancipator, Joshua Dariye follows as a hero more than these ones pretending to be sheep but are venomous wolfs. If they can do what Dariye did in Nshar we should have some peace now. Both Muslims and Christians are all happy and thriving in Nshar Yelwan-Shendam today. Attack is the best form of defense. May the great and gentle soul of Miskoom Hubert Shalldas II rest in peace with the Lord. Amen. Na men be that! Now na so so cash and carry full everywhere. Mtcheew!
6. The Hypocrisy Of Selective Outrage
The irony is that there are many hypocrites who pretend to love Gaza and the Arabs but are the back bone of Fulani domination and terrorism. They condemn Israel and pretend to be disgusted with the injustice against the Arabs (who by the way have their own share of the blame in what is happening), but will cheer and encourage the decimation and total humiliation of our people here at home.
It is not good to wish anyone evil but when the entire theatre of the Boko Haram plague extended from north east to the northwest and some dominant Hausa States, I concluded that indeed bad governance and wickedness have a way of reaching everybody irrespective of tribe and religion. Human suffering must be condemned and overcome everywhere not minding what identity that human being carry as along as they are human beings. Suffering and poverty do not discriminate. Nelson Mandela had said in his book Long Walk To Freedom that “poverty have the same resemblance everywhere” and permit me to add, injustice and violence have the same effect across board.
I have seen X messages from those who are Boko Haram at heart. They openly justify the actions of terrorists.
I do not begrudge the deserved sympathies that Gaza is getting even if they started the recent bout of atrocities against them but it is the height of hypocrisy to be angry for Gaza Arabs but rejoice for Plateau Fulanis.
Some people have raised concerns about the dangers of ethnic profiling. But I think they should be worried more about the danger that Fulani have constituted against everybody. On Saturday 23 December, an entire family coming home for Christmas was kidnapped by the Fulanis around the Hawan Kibo axis. Their car had tomatoes and fresh meat etc ready for Christmas celebration. Those who know would have noticed that any part of the road that is near a Fulani settlement has problem of armed robbery and kidnapping. Criminals abound in each tribe and religion but the Fulani case is an emergency.
