Headlines News

Group urges for stop to ‘genocide’ in the Nigeria’s middle belt, northern region

fulani

The Middle Belt Forum has called on Nigeria’s government and concerned organisations to, as a matter of urgency, stop the incessant killings and the deliberate attempt to wipe out tribes in the region.

The organisation in a press statement signed by its president, Bala J. Takaya and Isuwa B. Dogo, publicity secretery, said that the genocide in Benue, Southern Kaduna, Adamawa, Plateau, Taraba, Kogi and Niger states by alleged herdsmen has ravaged the region beyond human imagination and contemplation.

It said that the deliberate and consistent elimination of the autochthonous tribes in the North and Middle Belt attests to a systematic plan to exterminate all ethnic nationalities in the North and Middle Belt.

The conspiracy of silence and inaction of the Federal and State Governments is completely unacceptable.

However, the organisation demand an explanation of what happened in Southern Kaduna and Benue State during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
The events of 2016 Christmas period should have made the government and its relevant security outfits provide security in the whole of the Middle Belt and across the country, it said, stating that the states and the Federal Government have not deemed it necessary to ensure meaningful engagement towards a permanent solution to the genocide in the Middle Belt hence it has continue to fester with deadly toll on human lives.

“From previous experiences of attacks during the Yuletide in Goska in Southern Kaduna, parts of Plateau and Benue, it is known that these parts of the Middle Belt are prone to attacks when people lay down their guard to celebrate. Why was security not beefed up knowing the high possibility of these attacks?

“We have observed with dismay that the Federal Government renders no help either in terms of food, shelter or medication for the injured or displaced ones; while other areas benefit from high level visitation by the federal government, the Middle Belt has basically been left on their own to mourn their dead, cater for the wounded and organize shelter for those displaced; There are no functional IDP camps in any of the devastated areas.

“Considering the sophisticated weapons used, the mode of operation and the sophistication with which the killings take place, we are inclined to believe that this is a well armed militia tacitly supported by the inaction of the system to inflict maximum casualties.
Life in the middle belt is not only short, nasty and brutish, but virtually worthless, and near non-existent. Why has the Federal Government not declared war on these killer terrorists?
Governments’ primary responsibility is to protect life and property but in the Middle Belt, the case is the reverse.

The great Maitama Sule of blessed memory, when he led Northern Elders to Congratulate Buhari on his electoral victory, said, and we quote “Justice is the key – Irrespective of the tribe or religion or even political inclination. Behind every crises in the world is injustice and the solution is justice and fairness. Don’t compromise justice for anything. I am asking you to do justice to all parts of Nigeria to bring peace.”

Where is the justice?

The Middle Belt is the food basket of the Nation but fast becoming desolate. This is because the mass killings are only a subset of the overall killings. Individual households cannot go to their farms, if they do, they would be dead. These types of killings are not reported, but are a daily occurrence. The consequence of this to the nation would be made manifest sooner or later.

We call on the United Nations and all democratic, peace loving people of the world to come to our rescue and stop this Genocide because the Nigeria Government has failed us.
We call on our people wherever they are to be law abiding. We call on our people not to provoke anybody or group of people, but defend themselves if provoked by these heartless and mindless killers. We call on the law enforcement agencies to bring these criminals to justice as a demonstration of their sincerity in curbing these killings. We call on all Nigerians to join hands together to fight the evil that is taking over our nation. For it will not stop at the Middle Belt only, but across the country as witnessed in Ondo, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi, Delta, Cross River and River States.
Nigerians of all tribes and religions must join hands with the Middle Belt to fight this evil. If they don’t, it sooner or later get to them by which time there will be nobody to defend them.

The Blood of our innocent people is crying for JUSTICE. Please let there be justice.”

About the author

Ihesiulo Grace

Leave a Comment