The recent attempt to thwart the 5-year-old unbroken peace in Plateau State with the brutal killing on Saturday, August 14, 2021 of 25 travelers by suspected community youths in Jos North is condemnable in strongest terms. The victims, who weren’t responsible for any local conflicts in Jos, were ambushed and killed along Gada Biyu-Rukuba road while returning from Bauchi after attending an annual festival to commemorate the beginning of the Muslim new year.
While 14 of the injured travelers were admitted in hospitals, 10 persons reportedly remained missing. state governor Simon Bako Lalong promptly imposed a 24-hour curfew on three local governments of Jos North, Jos South and Bassa in order to dousethe tension.
The militia that did the attack, in alleged response to inter-communal skirmishes in neighbouring communities, reopened an ugly chapter in Plateau State that was becoming a distant memory, particularly in the six years since Governor Simon Bako Lalong took over leadership in the state. Although relative peace returned to the state, most perpetrators of previous heinous crimes had gone unpunished, including the killers of Major General Idris Alkali, which matter is still in court.
Barely a week after the attack on the travelers, over 30 people were reportedly killed on Tuesday August 24, 2021 by suspected gunmen in Yelwa Zangam community of the state. This outrage again forced Governor Lalong to re-impose the 24-hour curfew in Jos North local government area. Before the attack, the bridge linking Yelwa with other communities was allegedly destroyed to prevent security agents rushing in to help. At a stakeholders’
meeting in Jos, Governor Lalong warned leaders to take control of their areas as “government will no longer tolerate any act of criminality.”
We call on Governor Lalong to investigate recent attacks with a view to arresting and prosecuting perpetrators and sentencing those found guilty. Compensation should be paid to the families of all those killed or had their houses burnt in the attacks. We further urge Plateau State government to foot the medical bills of all persons injured in the attack.
If lasting peace must reign in Jos, it requires genuine reconciliation that is driven by residents’ resolve to willfully forgive one another for past crimes. The recent meetings between leaders of Irigwe land and Fulani community with Governor Simon Lalong, where the two sides agreed to forgive each other, is a welcome development. We urge government to support the full implementation of the final pact signed by all parties.
