Plateau Killings: Youths Accuse Military Of Collusion In Bandits’ Attack

The Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYMA) has accused the Nigerian military and security agencies of complicity in the Monday night attack on Jebbu Binde village in the Ta-Hoss District of Riyom Local Government Area, Plateau State, where approximately 30 people were killed by gunmen suspected to be Fulani militia. In a statement jointly signed by the group’s National President and Secretary-General, Solomon Dalyop and Bature Iliya Adazaram, respectively, the BYMA alleged that operatives of the Operation SAFE HAVEN (OPSH), a military task force set up to maintain peace in the state, failed to confront the assailants even when they were informed of the attack by residents. The BYMA also condemned the massacre of innocent people including women and children, describing it as a deliberate and coordinated assault under the watch of compromised security operatives. The group noted that it was disheartening that the attackers will storm a community not far from where the OPSH is stationed, open fire on sleeping residents, set several homes ablaze, and operated for hours without the military task force coming to the rescue of the people even when contacted by the villagers. The BYMA also lamented the fact that despite prior intelligence about the impending attack, the reinforcement team from OPSH failed to act decisively. “The gunmen, suspected to be members of the Fulani ethnic group, stormed the community, shooting sporadically and setting several houses ablaze,” the youth group said in the statement. “Many innocent people were killed and many others were injured. We have taken the bodies to different hospitals before the burial. “The attack has also sparked concern and outrage, with many calling for increased security measures to protect the lives and property of citizens. “BYMA expresses disappointment with the inaction of the reinforcement team of the Operation SAFE HAVEN’s (OPSH), despite prior knowledge of the planned attack. “What happened in Jebu is the usual Fulani crime against humanity, deliberately carried out under the watch of some security agents who are said to have been compromised by colluding with the attackers. “The BYM, during an on-the-spot assessment at the scene of the attack, eyewitnesses under anonymity registered their loss of confidence in the reinforcement team of the OPSH that came and stationed itself by the roadside, where the massacre was perpetrated even up to 6:09 am.”