Lalong vows to fish out perpetrators House demands urgent action over monarch’s murder
C’tee: Benue, Plateau, others face threat of being wiped out by herdsmen
Damilola Oyedele in Abuja and Seriki Adinoyi in Jos with agency report
Following the murder of their traditional ruler, Lazarus Agai by suspected herdsmen, youths from Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State yesterday defiled the curfew imposed by the state government and went on rampage burning houses and brandishing weapons.
This is even as the senator representing Plateau North senatorial district, Jonah David Jang, has condemned the renewed onslaught on the people of the state “by those who are hell-bent on dispossessing us of our God-given heritage.”
A statement by Jang’s aide, Comrade Clinton Garuba, described the murder as heart-rending, “especially at a time when our dear state is going through a challenging time when his wealth of experience and the core values which he stood for are direly needed.”
The 76-year-old monarch, who reigned for 42 years, was attacked on his way to Bokkos after visiting his farm in Sha District of the chiefdom.
Also killed along with him were his police orderly, his wife, and his son.
To stem the violence and possible reprisal, the state government immediately imposed curfew in the area after summoning emergency meeting of all security chiefs in the state. But the irate youths who were armed to the teeth defiled the curfew and took to the streets in violent protest.
The youths, who barricaded the major road leading to the area, also prevented journalists, and security operatives that were sent from Jos to reinforce the ones in the area.
Meanwhile, state Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Mallam Nuru Muhammad has raised the alarm that his members are under siege, and are being attacked by the youths of the area.
Muhammad blamed the attack on Fulani communities on the reports carried by certain media organisations that were quick to accuse Fulani herdsmen of the killings even before police investigation.
He lamented that though security operatives have controlled the youths, “but our homes have been utterly destroyed and burnt,”, urging the police to bring the youths to book.
Reacting to the murder, the state Governor Simon Lalong, described it as “very gruesome, babaric and sad.”
“I received the news (of the killing) with a heavy heart. The cold blooded murder is despicable and cowardly,’, Lalong said in a statement signed by Mr. Emmanuel Nanle, Director of Press Affairs.
He said the people and government of Plateau were pained by the unfortunate wave of killing of traditional rulers in Bokkos Local government council, and reiterated his determination to end the trend.
“We shall work together with all peace loving citizens of the State to secure and sustain the peace on the Plateau,’’ he declared.
The governor, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said government was in control of the situation and would fish out all enemies of the peace that had returned to the state.
Lalong appealed to the citizens, particularly residents of Bokkos Local Government Area, to remain calm and not engage in any act capable of aggravating the situation.
The governor expressed deep condolences to the family of the deceased, the people of Bokkos and the entire people of Plateau State over the loss.
However, the House of Representatives has demanded urgent action to apprehend and prosecute the killers of the first class monarch in Plateau State.
This was was the state caucus in the House warned of impending violence if the murderers are not arrested.
The House, following a motion of urgent national importance by Hon. Solomon Bulus Maren, condemned the murder of the 78-year-old monarch who was the Chairman of Bokkos Traditional Council.
The lawmakers urged the acting Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Ibrahim Idris, to ensure that the death of the monarch, who was killed alongside his son, daughter in-law, Police Orderly and a relation, is unraveled.
The Plateau State caucus, at a separate session, warned of impending violence in the state if the perpetrators of the murders are not found, and backed the calls for the establishment of state police to address insecurity.
Bulus-Maren, while addressing journalists, noted that while leaders in the state continue to appeal for calm, the youths may implode if there is no concrete action from the federal government.
“The killing of the longest-serving ruler on the Plateau is one too many and a clear invitation to war,” he said, recalling that the state has lost a Senator, a member of the House of Representatives, a member of the state House of Assembly, and thousands of villagers, to suspected herdsmen.
“This killing of the first class traditional ruler is not just murder but an attempt to erase us from the surface of the earth. We will give security agencies one more chance to see what they will do. We will continue to appeal to our people to be peaceful and law-abiding as we wait for the needed action by the authorities,” he added.
Hon. Timothy Golu appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently visit Plateau State and make a clear statement on the actions being taken to address the increasing killings by suspected herdsmen across the country.
“Plateau State will boil, and if it does, the whole country will be affected. The people living in the state are not Plateau indigenes alone,”Golu said.
Hon. Edward Pwajok queried why nobody has been prosecuted for the continued killings by suspected herdsmen.
“Why is Nigeria’s case the way it is? In other countries, arrests are made within 24 hours of an attack. In Nigeria, nobody is arrested and there is never any prosecution. This is the time for the president to ensure that the security of lives of Nigerians matters. The issue of insecurity should be considered as utmost importance by the government,” Pwajok said.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the House Committee on Army, Hon. Rima Shawulu, has warned that Benue, Plateau, Taraba and Nasarawa States are at the risk of being wiped out through sustained attacks from herdsmen, if the matter is not decisively death, with.
Reacting to the murder of the monarch, Shawulu lamented that the government has continued to handle the rising challenges of insecurity with levity.
“In Benue State, indigenes have been chased away and strangers in the name of herdsmen now occupy their ancestral lands. These villagers are living in camps in Makurdi and other towns. It is happening in Plateau, Taraba and Nasarawa States,” he said.
