…Demands ICC probe

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has berated President Bola Tinubu over what it described as his inexplicable failure to visit the scene of the Christmas eve massacre of Nigerians by terrorists in Bokkos and Barkin Ladi communities of Plateau State.

National Publicity Secretary of the party Hon. Debo Ologunagba, said this in a statement, in Abuja, on Friday.
He said the PDP is appalled by President Tinubu’s failure to show personal empathy and leadership by visiting the troubled people of Plateau State.

According to the party, his refusal to visit the scene tends to validate disturbing insinuations in the public space of complicity in high places about the attacks.

Ologunagba said, “The PDP is concerned as Nigerians raise puzzling questions as to what was responsible for the failure of intelligence before and during the coordinated massacre which went on for over 48 hours.

“Of further concern is the fact that Nigerians are also raising issues on these apprehensions by referring to the statement attributed to former military head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha on the possibility of complicity by officials of a government in unrestrained insurgency or crisis such as witnessed in the Plateau State massacre.

“President Tinubu must therefore allay fears and concerns on the above by immediately visiting the affected communities and personally addressing the nation on concrete steps to track down the perpetrators and their sponsors.

“It smacks of grave insensitivity and dereliction of duty for Mr President as the Commander-in-Chief to remain silent in the face of the targeted massacre of his citizens without defence and assistance.

“The President even failed to play his expected role as “Consoler-in-Chief” by not immediately visiting the troubled areas to demonstrate leadership, empathy and connection with the citizens.”

The party Spokesman further said, “ Instead of sending his aides to issue lame statements and detailing surrogates to visit after much prodding, President Tinubu should have as a matter of duty personally visited the scene of the genocide to give succour to the families of the dead and the wounded as well as reassure that his government is with the people of the affected communities in particular and Plateau State in general.

“Of course, the whole world witnessed the video of President Joe Biden kneeling before the daughter of George Floyd to offer his condolences on behalf of the United States for the brutal murder of her father. President Tinubu ought to have drawn a lesson from that.

“The apparent lack of empathy and the tokenism of sending proxies to Plateau State is unacceptable and clear manifestation of insensitivity by a President who remains unconcerned and fiddles in the comfort, luxury and pleasure of the Presidential villa while his citizens are mercilessly being brutalized and massacred by terrorists. President Tinubu must wake up from his slumber and be alive to his responsibility as President.

“The PDP also reiterates its call for an investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the Genocide; an international crime perpetuated on the peaceful, defenceless and innocent people of Plateau State on Christmas eve.”

How 9-yr-old boy was tricked into leading attackers to his mother’s hideout — Source

A woman who narrowly escaped the Christmas Eve massacre in the Chirang village of Plateau State by falling into a ditch has recounted her harrowing experience.

In a statement on Friday, Revd Dr. Gideon Para-Mallam, President and CEO of the Para-Mallam Peace Foundation, cited the survivor as revealing that a nine-year-old primary school student named Regard Yusuf was deceived into leading attackers to his mother’s hiding place.

According to the source, this deception led to the brutal slaying of 23 women, including Regard and his mother.
The statement also detailed how Regard was falsely reassured of his own safety by the murderers, only to be led to his own untimely demise.

Among those killed were Veronica Mallan and her nine-month-old infant, Godwin Mallan.

The Para-Mallam Peace Foundation described the coordinated attacks as a deliberate act of genocide, dismissing any notion that it was merely a clash between farmers and herders.

The group also remarked that the violence claimed the lives of public figures, including Hon. Sabo Abang. Abang was abducted on the same night and found dead near his residence on December 27th after being held captive for three days.

The statement continued, “The attacks have left a trail of severe injuries. A three-year-old child lies critically ill in the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) after being shot at close range, and a five-year-old girl is also receiving care at JUTH after her hand was brutally severed by attackers.”

Revd Dr. Gideon Para-Mallam offered condolences to the people of Bokkos, Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State, and all Nigerians, while critiquing the portrayal of the events as a mere farmers-herders conflict.

He also denounced the Federal Government’s response to the crisis as insufficient and urged immediate action to apprehend the culprits and halt the violence.

The statement stressed the necessity for sustainable peace and noted that the current military response is more reactive than proactive.

It noted that on December 27th, while a Presidential Team led by Vice President Kashim Shettima, National Security Adviser Malam Nuhu Ribadu, and other high-ranking officials visited Bokkos to offer condolences, additional villages were attacked, underscoring the relentless nature of the violence.

The statement further questioned the silence of the international community and the lack of a collective outcry among Nigerians to denounce and stop the terrorism in the Middle-belt region.

Para-Mallam called for a collective and sustained push for peace and an end to the bloodshed in Plateau State, emphasizing that politicizing the crisis is fruitless, whereas decisive action can pave the way to peace

Be patient, govt will take measures to tackle security challenges, Speaker, others tell survivors

The Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Gabriel Dewan, has appealed to the survivors of the recent attacks in Plateau State to be patient as Governments at all levels take the necessary measures to contain the security challenges bedevilling the communities and the State at large

Similarly, the Transition Committee Chairmen of the 17 local government areas of the State and the
Plateau CSOs Forum have lamented the renewed attacks, describing them as a monumental tragedy, and called for united efforts to identify and apprehend those responsible for the heinous acts.

The Speaker while briefing journalists in Jos stated, “The 10th Plateau State House of Assembly wishes to condemn in strong terms, the attacks on some communities of Bokkos, Mangu and Barkin Ladi Local Government Areas of Plateau State, which led to the loss of over 100 lives, with many houses burnt and properties lost. The House commends the immediate action taken by the State Governor, Caleb Mutfvang and Vice President Kashim Shettima in dousing the tension.

“We call on the Plateau State Government and the Renewed Hope agenda of the Federal Government not to relent in their efforts towards ensuring that normalcy returns to the affected communities.
The House wishes to passionately call on the affected communities to understand such activities as an attempt to destroy the relative peace we have been enjoying in the State

“The State Legislature equally appeals to security agencies in the State, particularly the security outfits in those communities to stand firm and work proactively to discharge their primary mandate of maintaining peace and order without fear or favour as well as ensuring that bad elements and culprits perpetrating such dastardly acts are identified, apprehended and made to face the full wrath of the law.

“While condoling with those who lost their loved ones in the unfortunate attack, the House of Assembly appeals to the victims to the patient while Governments at all levels are taking necessary measures to contain the security challenges bedevilling the communities and the State at large.”

The State ALGON through its Chairman and Chairman of Wase LGA, Hamisu Anani condemned the attacks and commended the efforts of Governor Mutfwang for his “prompt response and the repeated calls on security agencies to tackle the situation headlong through the provision of logistics and the needed support in fishing out the perpetrators of this devilish act.”

The body acknowledged President Bola Tinubu’s efforts at bringing succour and appealed to the sponsors of the attacks to reconsider, as “there is nothing to gain from such violence and the spirit of the Plateau people will not be broken.”

He noted, “ALGON expresses sympathy to the affected families and communities and urged citizens to stand strong, assuring them that the government is actively working to address the situation while calling for calm in the affected areas.”

Meanwhile, Rev. Chris Damcher who is the Chairman, of the Plateau CSOs Forum added, “The Plateau Civil Society Organizations Forum hereby extends our sincere condolences to the government, families and traditional Heads of affected communities over the unfortunate and irreparable loss and pray that the souls of the departed rest in peace.

“The killings in Plateau started on 7th September 2001, it has since grown into a massacre, and a barbaric act of violence cowardly engineered which counter every known attitude of a normal human being, who believes in the sanctity of human life. As is common with most of the attacks meted on communities, there are most often early warning security alerts circulated on social media. We are fully convinced that such information usually gets to the security agencies and relevant authorities but we are so worried and saddened that each time such planned attacks by the same so-called Fulani Militia are circulated, their plans are usually executed to a high percentage unabated.

“There is hardly or never a proactive measure(s) by the security operatives to counter the early warnings circulated nor intercept the attackers in the act. The early warnings are often not mere social media assertions as most often taken, so dismissed by those who have the mandate to respond to such information.

It is no longer news that the attackers are not only after the lives of the community dwellers but truly their ancestral and God-given lands to occupy…

“The lands are being taken over and no government and traditional institutions are fighting or promoting the returning of the IDPs to their ancestral land, while the grabbers are moving around freely and molesting citizens.”