Plateau killings is sheer genocide —ex-Air Force chief

Plateau killings is sheer genocide —ex-Air Force chief

By Pamson Ishaya

Former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Jonah Wuyep (Rtd) has described the recent spike of attacks on communities in Plateau State as a case of genocide aimed at wiping out the indigenous ethnic nationalities of the state.

Wuyep, who made this known in an interview with newsmen in Jos, stressed that a clear distinction should be made between the ongoing acts of genocide in the state and a mere communal conflict or herder-farmer conflict, to which many are wrongly ascribing the Plateau situation.

According to him, no sane society should condone or tolerate ethnic cleansing or genocide, like the recent deadly attacks, which claimed over 100 lives in one week.

He called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately end the dangerous war against the state’s ethnic nationalities before things get out of hand.

“Let me start by extending my heartfelt condolences to the Governor, government and people of Plateau State, particularly people from the affected communities on the recent killings that claimed many lives in Bokkos and Bassa LGA.

“These attacks are very unfortunate, I condemn it in totality and call on the Federal Government for swift action to end it.

“The attack on innocent people of Plateau State are coordinated, systematic and appears very deliberate to wipe the communities for no reason.

“This has been so for too long and I think the time to stop this senseless attacks on rural communities is now.

“The President, and indeed, all the relevant authorities have to urgently address this dangerous trend without any further delay,” he said.

“I want the world to know that the attacks on innocent persons in the state is not herders-farmers clash, as is being wrongfully insinuated in many quarters.

“The question is: Was it in the farm that people were killed in Bokkos and Bassa, was there a clash?

“If so between who and who. We know that the locals were attacked and killed, so if it is a clash, with which group of people?

“What is their identity? This is clearly a terrorist attack, and the security personnel must fish out the perpetrators.

“The earlier the security identify those who are attacking our people the better for the nation in addressing the spate of insecurity in the country.

“It is clear that armed men decend on helpless and innocent communities and kill people in their sleep, and the Federal Government must do something very urgent and now to stop the killings.

“Let me repeat clearly that what we are facing on the Plateau is not a communal clash, it is not a religious war but a pure genocidal, terrorist attack aimed at wiping the people from their lands and this has to stop.

“Government should not allow our communities to turn into killings fields.

“For me, these incidents are not isolated, they are coordinated acts of terror, aimed at instilling fear, displacing our people, and ultimately undermining the right of the people to coexist peacefully in their ancestral lands.

“If you observe this latest attacks on our people, you’ll realize that it is happening when the farming session is about to commence.

“That has been the pattern for years. The aim is to instill fear on the farmers not to go to farm and if they don’t go, they will remain in hunger and perpetual poverty.

“Their land will be turn into grazing fields, that must not happen to Plateau people, everything possible must be done to stop this trend of events, enough of it.

“I urge our people to be vigilant and defend themselves but be law abiding. Don’t allow terrorists to come and slaughter you, you must protect yourselves and your land.

“The youth must organize themselves into vigilante groups, to be be vigilant and face the security with intelligence from your communities.

“This is the hour for Plateau people to come together and defeat the common enemy threatening the existence of the state” Wuyep added.