Aggrieved women of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State have set fire to the residence of the District Head of Bokkos town, Michal Monday Adanchi, calling him a sell-out.
The protest on Friday afternoon followed the arrest of community members who were linked to the recent killing on Christmas Eve by terrorists in the region.
Expressing their anger over the development, the women took the protest to the home of the traditional ruler and also the administrative office of the town.
Meanwhile, the destructive action that started at the police station in the town led the aggrieved women to the home of the traditional ruler.
The Bokkos Progressive Youths had issued an earlier statement lamenting the bias of the security operatives before today’s incident.
The statement reads;
BOKKOS PROGRESSIVE YOUTHS
5TH JANUARY 2024
HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE BY THE MILITARY IN BOKKOS L.G.A. OF PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA.
It is with pain in our hearts that we write to address you concerning the continuous violation of Human Rights by the military sent to foil the attacks that started on 23rd December 2023 in Bokkos Local Government of Plateau State, Nigeria.
Since the sad event happened, we have witnessed continuous arrest, detention, and brutalization of victims who managed to escape the horror of the attackers. In most cases, these victims have suffered incapacitation and bullet wounds from the same army who are supposed to protect them.
The rate of this violation has taken a dramatic dimension since Wednesday 3rd January, 2024 with the continuous dehumanizing and brutal treatment meted out on our youths(All of Christian Faith and IDPs) on account of a corpse suspected to be a Fulani found somewhere. While we condemn all criminality in whatever guise, we are quick to mention here that the manner of operation by the military seems to target a particular faith.
While we still mourn the death of over two hundred people in Bokkos ( All of Christian Faith) over the attacks the military in Bokkos failed to contain, even when they had prior intelligence from the Governor of the State (As mentioned by Sen. Abdullah I Ningi on the floor of the National Assembly), the failure to make any substantial arrest even after it happened is a matter of concern to us. We are shocked to see the manner of dehumanizing and brutal treatment meted out to these innocent people over the alleged killing of a Fulani. We are forced to ask these questions:
1. How many terrorist (of whom their faith is known to you) have you arrested and dehumanized like this over the genocide in Bokkos?
2. Is a Fulani’s life more important than other Nigerians?
3. When has the Nigerian Military ceded its role of protecting territorial integrity to arrest and incapacitation of innocent civilians?
Arrest and investigation is purely a Police affair. They should quickly excuse themselves and allow police to do their constitutional duty.
4. What happens to the military gadgets and equipment meant to assist in times like this? Are they all not in good condition at the time of these attacks?
And they can only be available when possibly it’s the other way?
These are questions that demand answers.
We are fast losing our confidence in the Nigerian Military to be fair to all.
Again, we must add that these attacks happened in our villages, currently, our people cannot access their farms to irrigate their farms, we thought the military would have carried out clearance operations in those villages so that people could at least access their farms, but the issue is the reverse.
The concentration of the military is in Bokkos town, showing their might on the victims of attacks while the remnants and crops of the victims are either looted or burnt by the terrorists.
Given the above, we call for the following:
1. The President, His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinibu (GCFR), The President of the Senate, Sen. God will Akpabio, National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. C.G. Musa, Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, to immediately direct the release of those incarcerated by the military and order for the treatment of those the military incapacitated (some were last seen with various degree of gunshot injuries and handcuffed in JUTH under the watch of the heavy military)
2. The President should set up a high-powered committee to investigate the numerous cases of human abuses by the military and punish those found culpable.
3. The President should review the recruitment of officers and men of the military within the last eight years. Our findings have shown that the majority of the men on the ground belong to a particular faith and seem to sympathize with their fellows against upholding the oath of their duty of being fair to all Nigerians. The young officers yesterday threatened to shoot a Father who approached a Senior Officer at their base to complain about the brutality meted out to his son. This is one among many cases.
The memory of our slain youths by the same military in 2016 is still fresh in our memory.
If we have lost confidence in the last regime to protect us, you must right the wrongs of the previous administration by carrying out your primary responsibility with utmost priority to gain back our confidence as a Nation.
4. That the Inspector General of Police should order the immediate removal of the Divisional Police Officer from Bokkos. His continued resistance to transfer amid these attacks without bringing any solutions leaves us in doubt about his integrity. He must be investigated. It is alleged that he has worked to reverse several transfers on him. What is it benefitting? This is a matter that demands urgent investigation.
We hope to brief you subsequently as events unfold.
Sign Youth President Bokkos LAG Christopher Luka Tulladem
Recall that the killing of members of the Bokkos community has drawn the attention of the world. While the Federal government had assured of its readiness to put a stop to the attack, Northern Governors have revealed that the attack was not a result of a farmer-herder crisis but equated it to the Rwanda genocide.
