Daniel, a resident of Barkin-Ladi local government area of Plateau State, and his family were eagerly looking forward to last year’s Christmas with a lot of excitement. It was not going to be just a Christmas Day but a very special one. The family had expected to use the occasion to also celebrate the graduation from university, of their youngest daughter, Nansit, and the survival of their mother, Salome, from a life-threatening illness.
They, therefore, went to church on Christmas Eve dancing and looking forward to a good Christmas meal on December 25, especially as Daniel’s children had contributed money to buy two cows for the celebrations.
But it was not to be, as, on Christmas Eve, armed gangs, usually called bandits, attacked the community and left many people, including members of Daniel’s family dead or injured.
Gunmen had launched simultaneous attacks on 15 villages in Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi local government areas of the state around 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Police initially said 96 lives were lost while 221 houses were destroyed.
In Barkin-Ladi, three communities were targeted, resulting in the loss of 17 lives.
Media reports later increased the death toll to at least 140 people killed and others missing.
Officials and survivors blamed the killings on the farmer-herder crisis which is common in the country, especially in the Middle Belt region.
For several weeks towards the end of 2023, three local government areas in Plateau State- Bokkos, Barkin Ladi and Mangu recorded heavy violent attacks with scores killed, many wounded, houses and farms destroyed and many rendered homeless.
The organised and simultaneous nature of the attacks was linked to well-armed and coordinated groups suspected to be herdsmen.
The number of casualties was so alarming that it drew world attention.
Research findings and outreach paint a complex picture that the rise in violent conflict stems from the nexus of a wide range of issues related to religion, security, governance, economy, livelihoods, demographics and resource management in not only Plateau State but some other parts of the Middle Belt.
Elsewhere in neighbouring Nasarawa, Kogi, Benue and Niger states, several reports had emerged of similar large scale killings.
To stem the violence in rural areas of the Middle Belt, both the federal and state governments have intervened, ordering the deployment of security agents and equipment to apprehend those responsible.
Some of the communities worst affected in Plateau include Mangur village; Mbar; Tangur; Bokkos Central; Butura and Mushere in Bokkos local government.
The frequency and intensity of the attacks became so alarming that Vice President Kashim Shettima visited the state to see things for himself.
Shettima, who was accompanied by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, said the government would not rest until victims of the attacks get justice. Governor Caleb Mutfwang also expressed concern about the escalation of violence in the areas.
The approach of both the state and federal governments to prevent such conflicts by ordering the deployment of troops and setting up judicial panels of inquiry is commendable. But crises keep reoccurring, so much that experts in peace-building and conflict management believe that the use of force or executive fiat cannot stop the recurring violence, and other means need to be explored.
One common trend that ties large-scale killings and violence in the rural areas of the Middle Belt is over ownership, access and use of land and land resources.
Incidentally, Plateau is one of the states in the focus of the Middle Belt Brain Trust (MBBT) which aims at seeking ways for enduring peace in the troubled states of the Middle Belt and hosted a meeting of experts put together for the purpose.
Led by a former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Martin Luther Agwai, the MBBT sought to meet with leaders and stakeholders in the state and were received by Governor Caleb Mutfwang in his office at Little Rayfield, Jos.
At the meeting, General Agwai said one of the key pillars of their strategy was working with the government while involving the communities.
He said, “We are focused on a collaborative strategy with key local actors that build on the Middle Belt’s strengths, establishes mechanisms to manage conflict and strengthen relationships, bolsters existing traditional, social, and state institutions; and increases economic opportunity, especially for youth is likely to have a long-lasting, positive impact on the region and country.”
He added that the MBBT’s strategy focuses on reforming land management, strengthening inter-community grievance management systems, boosting youth entrepreneurship and increasing youth participation in peacebuilding and governance.
“We are advocating for a comprehensive strategy that involves changing incentives–increasing those for peace and reducing those for violence. It requires changing the way institutions work, resources are allocated, and leaders behave. The more institutions can manage and ideally ameliorate existing or emerging social cleavages, the more likely conflicts will be settled peacefully,” Agwai said.
Responding, Governor Mutfwang said the visit by members of the MBBT to the state demonstrated a united commitment to peace and stability in the region and fostering a collaborative environment for sustainable development.
He expressed support for the Trust’s initiatives and emphasised the need for a collective approach to addressing the region’s challenges and gave the commitment of the state government towards working with the group to pilot conflict sensitivity in policy making and implementation to promote sustainable peace solutions leveraging on local and international expertise.
The efforts seem to be yielding fruits as the police and other security agencies have said they were deploying both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches to tackle the lingering crises.
This was made known by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, while reacting to the attacks.
This is a welcome development as past approaches had always concentrated on kinetic means and the use of force.
To increase the sustainability of the solutions involving members of the affected communities will be necessary since they are better placed to identify the problems and be invested in the responsibilities to manage the conflicts.
This has to be inculcated in the minds of the people so that they can own the processes, monitor and implement them.
Besides, the group had in the previous year, undertaken similar visits to Nasarawa and Benue states where it met the state governments and organised workshops for key stakeholders and traditional rulers on alternative ways of peacebuilding.
The visit to Plateau complements efforts towards ensuring peace in the entire Middle Belt region.
Members at the meeting including Prof Ben Angwe, Dr. Saleh Momale; Prof Charity Angya; Imam (Dr) Nuraydeen Ashafa; Comrade Chom Bagu, Dr Joseph Atang, Dr Bonat Zuwaqhu, Barr Abigail Waya, Ambassador Samuel Jimba and Mr. Isaac Nzikachia Bami believe that involving stakeholders in the communities like traditional rulers, religious leaders, women and youth leaders go a long way in attaining and sustaining peace in the communities, and in that way, sustainable peace can be achieved in the Middle Belt without the use of force.
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