Plateau: NBA Accuses Terr*rists of Attacking Curfew-Abiding Residents

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Plateau State has raised serious concerns, alleging that terr*rists are openly assaulting communities strictly observing government-mandated curfews amidst a resurgence of killings across the state. This alarm was sounded by the four NBA branches in Plateau – Jos, Pankshin, Bukuru, and Shendam – during a joint press conference held on Monday at the NUJ Secretariat in Jos.

Leading the charge, the chairmen of these branches, Morgan Dung (Jos), Selven Zingman (Pankshin), Lucy Pam-Fom Bot (Bukuru), and Sylvia Kumtong (Shendam), presented their grievances. Morgan Dung, Chairman of the NBA Jos Branch, read the official statement. The association asserted that the persistent violence in Mangu, Barkin Ladi, Riyom, and Bokkos Local Government Areas clearly demonstrates the government's failure to safeguard lives and property.

Mr. Dung emphasized, “One of the fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy is the responsibility of government to guarantee the observance of fundamental rights as captured under Chapter Four of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. Section 33 of the Constitution states that every person has a right to life and no one shall be deprived intentionally of his life, save in the execution of a court order in respect of a criminal offence of which he has been found guilty in Nigeria. It therefore suffices to say that the protection of lives and property is the most fundamental responsibility of government, and the NBA frowns at the inability of government to prevent the continuous loss of lives and property in Nigeria and in Plateau State.”

The legal body strongly condemned what it termed as brutal and incessant assaults on citizens. Their statement read, “The Nigerian Bar Association condemns, in the strongest terms, the gruesome and sustained attacks carried out on citizens on a daily basis across Plateau State, with the most recent occurring in Mangu, Barkin Ladi, Riyom and Bokkos Local Government Areas of the state, which have left in their trail undesirable results.”

The NBA expressed profound dismay that these terr*rists have shown blatant disregard for the curfews imposed by the government, choosing instead to target law-abiding residents. “It is equally disturbing that, in the wake of recent attacks and an imposition of curfew in the areas mentioned above, terr*rists disrespected the curfew and freely attacked communities obeying the order,” the association stated. They highlighted that even community vigilantes in Kikyo village, Mangu Local Government Area, were killed at their posts by terr*rists during curfew hours. Similar distressing incidents were reported in Cantoma and Bin-Per villages in Mangu LGA, as well as Kasa village in Marit District, Barkin Ladi LGA. The NBA warned that such actions constitute “an invitation to total anarchy and complete breakdown of law and order.”

The lawyers cautioned that the unchecked violence has fostered a sense of impunity and eroded public trust. They noted, “When perpetrators of violence transact their stock in trade unabated and sometimes evade justice, this sends a dangerous message that human life is expendable in Nigeria and, consequently, citizens are fast losing faith in the ability of the state to protect them.” Furthermore, the association lamented that some communities have been entirely displaced, with their lands allegedly seized, occupied, and renamed, leaving survivors without homes.

While commending President Bola Tinubu for his visit to Plateau to condole with victims of the Jos North killings and his advocacy for state police and citizen security training, the NBA urged the Federal Government to take further decisive steps. Their demands included sponsoring an Executive Bill to place security on the Concurrent Legislative List, thereby granting governors effective control over security operations. They also called for adequate motivation and equipping of security agencies to address allegations of bias, strengthening border surveillance, and degazetting forests around the Pa’ I River Game Reserve, which they claimed serve as bandit hideouts. The NBA specifically mentioned Garga community in Kanam LGA, bordering Bauchi and Taraba, as another area plagued by banditry, citing an alleged influx of Fulani militia from Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba, and the Republic of Niger.

Regarding the Plateau State Government’s efforts, the NBA acknowledged the revitalization of Operation Rainbow, the training of 2,000 Neighbourhood Watch members and hunters, the provision of gun trucks, and the establishment of a command and control centre. However, they urged the state to license Operation Rainbow and Neighbourhood Watch to operate kinetic facilities, amend existing laws, implement the Anti-Land Grabbing Law, and provide necessary structures for police divisions. The association also called for the reinstatement of local government chairmen.