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Don’t make Plateau pariah state, elders tell hoodlums

By Isa Abdulsalami Ahovi, Jos
18 July 2018   |   3:08 am
The elders in all of Plateau’s 17 local councils have urged hoodlums barricading the highways, especially in Riyom council area, to halt forthwith their criminal activities to avoid turning the state into a pariah entity. They described as a disservice the vow by the people in transit not to return to the state in their…

Plateau

The elders in all of Plateau’s 17 local councils have urged hoodlums barricading the highways, especially in Riyom council area, to halt forthwith their criminal activities to avoid turning the state into a pariah entity.

They described as a disservice the vow by the people in transit not to return to the state in their lifetime.

The elders, under the aegis of Coalition of Plateau Patriots, at a press conference in Jos, decried the killing and robbing of innocent people traversing Jos, noting that the development was denting the image of the state and scaring away investors.

The spokesman of the coalition and former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chief Sylvanus Lot, said: “The ugly development must be promptly addressed by security operatives so that there are no reprisals from other parts of the country.”

In a statement, he condemned the recent attacks by suspected herdsmen on communities in Bassa, Barkin Ladi, Mangu, Riyom and Jos South local councils.

His words: “These callous acts have left behind a huge humanitarian crisis which the state government and people of goodwill are trying their best to solve.

The consequence of these heinous acts is the emergence of internally displaced persons (IDP) camps where several of our able-bodied and patriotic people are made to stay.

“We, as men and women of goodwill, condemn in totality these barbaric and callous acts of killings of our people by these so-called herdsmen and other militia groups.

We add our voice to the good people of the world by calling on government at all levels to step up action in arresting and prosecuting the perpetrators of these ungodly acts that are fast becoming a norm.

“The governor’s unparalleled commitment to providing succour and ensuring the relocation of the victims of the attacks is quite reassuring and appealing to us.

It is on record that the ill-informed attack on his convoy by these hoodlums took place when he was on one of such good trips.”

He went on: “As citizens of Plateau State, we are worried about reactions and actions of some rampaging youths.

We consider the series of attacks as an assault on the entire people of the state and not just the Berom ethnic group.

“We know that majority of the Berom people are peace-loving, accommodating and tolerant.”

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