Solomon Dalung, a former minister of youth and sports, has stated that the killings in Bokkos LGA of Plateau State are acts of terrorism, rather than the result of the long-standing farmer-herder clashes.
On Thursday, the Bokkos Cultural Development Council (BCDC) reported that suspected bandits were responsible for the deaths of over 10 people in the area on Wednesday night.
By Saturday, reports indicated that the number of casualties had increased to 52.
The incident occurred just a week after gunmen attacked the Ruwi community in Bokkos LGA during a mourning gathering at the home of a deceased individual.
Speaking on Monday during an appearance on the ‘Morning Show’, a programme on Arise TV, Dalung suggested that the recent killings are part of a deeper issue.
“One major issue on the Plateau is mislabelling criminals based on ethnic identities or community relations,” he said.
“The violence here isn’t a farmer-herder conflict; it’s terrorism. These groups have an enclave similar to those in the north-east, where they steal cattle, seize land and establish a parallel government in the bush.”
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar also weighed in, attributing the killings to what he described as the failure of President Bola Tinubu’s security framework.
“The failure of Bola Tinubu’s security architecture has now become an endemic nationwide phenomenon with repeated killings, more of which do not even make the headlines,” Abubakar said.
He urged President Tinubu to “reconfigure” the country’s security system to ensure better protection for the lives and property of citizens.
