The Berom Youths Moulder Association (BYM) has decried Saturday’s attack in Kwi Community of Riyom Local Government Area, Plateau State, carried out by suspected Fulani militants, where about seven persons were killed and several others injured.
The invasion of the community, which took place at about 10:30 pm, came on the heels of the killing of one Kurang Daniel, who was shot on his farm earlier in the day.
In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by the BYM President, Dalyop Mwantiri, and Secretary-General, Bature Adazaram, the group alleged that the attackers often presented false claims of attacks on herdsmen as justification to unleash violence on Berom communities.
The BYM said the Kwi attack was unprovoked despite claims by a Fulani group that some Berom youths had earlier attacked them, killing five herders and over 50 cows.
“Information available to the Berom Youths Moulder Association has it that Fulani had falsely framed up usual lies and fallacies to security operatives, claiming that the natives of Kwi attacked their cows, which has not been proved, as no trace of any cow touched or herder attacked up to the time of filing this report has been factually established after a thorough search to ascertain such claim,” the BYM statement read.
It, however, debunked the claims, saying it was one of the strategies and ruses the Fulani militias employ whenever they want to attack any village.
The BYM added that Fulani groups often employ the services of a certain security expert who uses his X platform to push their propaganda that they are the victims when they are actually the aggressors.
The association expressed concern over what it described as a pattern in which deadly attacks appear to follow meetings between Fulani and Berom representatives at security offices.
The group cited a recent ambush on community and youth leaders who were ambushed and attacked while returning from a security meeting at the Sector 4 Headquarters, in which four people were killed, two were injured, and two went missing.
The association also appealed to security forces, particularly Sector 4 of the Joint Task Force Operation Enduring Peace (OPEP), to take decisive action.
“The Berom Youths Moulder Association is passionately appealing to Sector 4 Operation Enduring Peace to use all its arsenals and professionalism to arrest the Fulani who made such baseless and misleading calls, as well as claims, for onward investigation and necessary prosecution,” the statement said.
The BYM warned that the threat to the Berom people will persist unless more robust measures are taken against Fass and other areas where suspected militants are believed to have established safe havens.
