Fulani militias and herder groups often from Nasarawa, Kaduna, Bauchi and Taraba states have been identified as the key aggressors in the attacks and killings that have claimed hundreds of lives in Plateau State in the past two and a half decades.

This was disclosed by a high powered fact-finding committee constituted by Governor Caleb Mutfwang to unravel the cause of persistent violence and killings in the state.

The chairman of the committee, Major General Rogers Ibe Nicholas (rtd), while submitting the report of the committee to the governor, said his committee met with various ethnic nationalities and interest groups and visited all the troubled and violence-hit communities to get firsthand information about the violence and how to provide enduring peace in the state.

On who the perpetrators of the violent attacks, Rogers said: “Communities consistently identified armed Fulani militias and herder groups, often from across Nasarawa, Kaduna, Bauchi and Taraba States as key aggressors.

“In other local government areas, particularly in Shendam and Quan’pan, local disputes involving boundary disputes, ethnic rivalries, political competition and youth militias also contributed to violence.

“The committee received a report of disturbances by bandits who are said to have established their cells in two Nasarawa State villages bordering Quan’pan and forcing Plateau communities in Quan’pan to flee.

“In Wase and Kanam, the presence of bandits’ cells with suspected links to extremist organizations was reported. The motives driving these attacks are multiple, ranging from control of land and resources, to territorial expansion, ethno-religious dominance, political destabilization, and outright criminal profiteering through kidnap-for-ransom and cattle rustling.”

Tracing the routes of infiltration, the committee said: “These porous borders include entry points from Nasarawa through Wamba, Lafia, and Awe; from Kaduna through Lere, Kaura, and Sanga; from Bauchi through Toro, Tafawa Balewa, Bagoro, and Alkaleri; and from Taraba through Ibi and Karim Lamido. These routes are largely unmonitored and exploited by attackers for quick strikes and retreats.”

Rogers noted that with 420 communities attacked and nearly 12,000 lives lost, Plateau State cannot afford to treat such atrocities as business as usual, noting that the violence in the state are coordinated, the motives deliberate, and the sequences devastating.

Receiving the report at the new Government House, Rayfield, Jos, Governor Mutfwang vowed to implement the recommendations towards achieving lasting peace in the state.

He also expressed readiness to present the report to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and security experts to enable them have an insight and true story behind the two and a half decades of violence in the state for a durable solution.

The governor questioned the integrity of some individuals who called themselves leaders, with their public statements unfortunately showing that they do not have the interest of the people at heart.

He reiterated the call to sons and daughters of Plateau State, who God has blessed with positions of honour, to rise in defence of Plateau heritage and work towards its overall development.

He said: “Receiving this important report is a journey towards peace and putting into proper perspectives the true nature of the violent attacks that have plagued Plateau in the last two and a half decades.

“When I took over and began to tell the story of what was happening on the Plateau, I was called names. Therefore, I sat down and told myself that for us to convince the authorities and Nigerians with the truth about the nature of the crisis in Plateau, we need men and women of proven integrity who will gather, analyze and bring into the public space what has been happening in the last two and a half decades.”

He reiterated the commitment of his administration to peace, justice and fairness, marked by transparency and commitment to be accountable to the people, while ensuring that no individual will be above the law.

Mutfwang noted that it is only when the issues are confronted headlong that the truth and nothing but the truth, would be revealed because it is only the truth that can set people out.

While deeply appreciating the members of the committee, who are not indigenes of Plateau (except the secretary) for painstakingly carrying out the rigorous exercise, the governor declared that his administration was delighted that they sacrificed so much to get at the truth, assuring them that the report would be implemented fairly and justly, for the sake of justice for all.

Mutfwang said he had begun to put modality in place for the recruitment of 1,000 competent and trustworthy youths from various communities in the state into the state’s security outfit, Operations Rainbow, to provide early warning intelligence for swift response to distress calls from rural communities in the state. (THISDAY)