We’re not harbouring terrorists – Herders
Herders in the Mahanga community of Jol district, Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, have denied allegations that they are harbouring terrorists.
The accusations, they say, are unfounded and aimed at tarnishing their image.
Farming communities in Riyom, particularly the Berom ethnic group, have repeatedly accused Fulani herders in Mahanga of sheltering armed groups responsible for attacks in the area.
In the past two months alone, Berom leaders claim over a dozen lives have been lost in attacks allegedly carried out by herders.
READ ALSO: Taraba Communities Under Siege: Armed herders renew attacks, displace many
In response, Fulani herders say they’ve lost over 100 cattle to gunmen, accusing the Berom of orchestrating the raids.
During a visit by the fact-finding committee set up by Governor Caleb Mutfwang, a Fulani leader in Riyom, Ardo Mahmud Adam, dismissed the allegations.
“Security operatives of Operation Safe Haven have been stationed in Mahanga for years. If there were terrorists here, wouldn’t they have been arrested?” he asked.
Adam said repeated crises in other LGAs are wrongly blamed on herders from Mahanga.
“Whenever violence erupts in Mangu, Bokkos or Bassa, we are accused without evidence. No attacker has ever been traced back to Mahanga,” he said.
READ ALSO: Two farmers killed in fresh attack on Plateau community, mourners targeted
He also lamented that gunmen frequently shoot their cattle, making it increasingly difficult to graze.
He said, “We can no longer rear cattle safely. Does being Fulani mean we don’t have the right to graze?”
Alhaji Bello Adamu, Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) in Riyom, expressed concern over the marginalisation of Fulani communities. “We are often accused without evidence, and denied our rights. Social media is used to label us as terrorists,” he said.
Retired Major General Rogers, chairman of the committee, urged both sides to avoid taking the law into their hands.
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