Youths from the Mwaghavul tribe in the Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State have raised alarm over alleged lies they say are being peddled on social media to justify further attacks that may be carried out in communities in the LGA.
The youths under the aegis of Mwaghavul Youth Movement, MYM, said threats have been made against the Mwaghavul people, calling on security agencies to look into the situation before any attack occurs in their communities.
The National President of the MYM, Kyesmang Yusuf, in a press briefing on Friday in Jos, said, “We are compelled to address you today concerning the recent baseless accusations by some persons of Fulani extraction. But for the need to correct some lies being peddled by them to serve as the basis for further attacks on our people and land, we would have ignored them.
“We know that such lies often precede coordinated attacks on our people, which is why we are here today to inform the public of their evil intentions against the State. As you well know, the Mwaghavul Nation has been a victim of coordinated genocide committed by Fulani terrorists against our nation since 13th April, 2023.
“Although this genocide has become widespread in Nigeria, our local situation has been disturbing, given our shared mutual coexistence for decades. Conflict is intrinsic to every society, which is why there are institutional and traditional ways of settling grievances. Sadly, the Fulani marauders in our land chose the path of violence in settling their grievances.”
He noted, “The unprovoked attacks on the Mwaghavul Nation have resulted in the sacking of over 30 villages out of 103 affected communities, displacement of over 65,000 villagers, grounding of 6,111 houses and immense loss of over 600 lives aside from properties. For two years, the Fulani terrorists have neither shown any form of remorse for their atrocities nor regard for human life. Rather, they have continued to target innocent Mwaghavul people either on their farms or anywhere outside our land.
“Our people have become soft targets of these criminals. It is imperative that we recognise the broader threat posed by these terrorists to the peace of our State and Nation. They have resorted to the use of social media to propagate their lies against the Mwaghavul youths. The Mwaghavul nation is not the only victim of these terrorists on the Plateau.
“Our brothers the Ron, the Berom, the Irigwe, the Afizere, the Rukuba, and the Attakar in the Plateau North District and other ethnic nationalities have had their share of the Fulani evils for decades, thus setting the Nigerian youths on the edge.
The government must take the urgent steps needed to empower us to provide the first line of defence for our people and heritage.”
Yusuf disclosed that “recently, a Fulani leader, the MACBAN Chairman of Mangu LGA, made threats against the peace of our community in a viral video, and another individual, Bilal Gambo, a former resident at Jwakchan-Kwaghas between Pushit and Panyam District of Mangu LGA, made provocative and defamatory statements against our people.
“At this point, we will not conclude that the security agencies are still pretending not to have read or heard the threats issued by these terrorists. It is not in doubt that the Fulanis have mistaken our people’s simplicity for weakness and stupidity. We demand that these individuals be arrested and prosecuted immediately for inciting violence against our people.
“The Fulani have made allegations against the Mwaghavul youths, claiming they are responsible for criminal acts such as poisoning cows and cattle rustling. They also accuse the District Head of Kombun, Da Gambo Tetmut, of protecting cattle rustlers.
“Ironically, despite these acts of kindness, the District Head has been falsely accused, given threats of invasion by Fulani bandits. Whereas we understand their pain for the loss of their animals, they should report such cases to security agencies who have the expertise to investigate, arrest and prosecute such criminals rather than using such occasions to stereotype or blackmail our youths…”(Vanguard)
