How ‘Soldiers Forced Us To Pay For Dead Cow; Plateau Community Cries For Help Out After Many Killed
Residents and youths of Nyamgo Gyel community in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State have accused soldiers of detaining them and forcing them to pay for a dead cow they knew nothing about, while allegedly failing to respond when gunmen later attacked their community.
The development came after Nigeria’s president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, visited Plateau State following a deadly attack on Angwan Rukuba, where dozens of residents were killed.
It was gathered that three persons were killed and another injured in a fresh attack on Friday evening in Nyamgo Gyel, further heightening tensions in the troubled community.
According to reports, the victims were ambushed at about 7 p.m. on Friday while returning home from Gero after visiting a mining site.
The victims were travelling on a motorbike when the attackers reportedly struck.
Those killed were identified as Luka Pam, 36; Samuel Davou, 38; and Deme Saidu, 35.
The attack has thrown the community into mourning, with residents expressing anger over continued security failures and growing threats to their safety.
In a viral video, a youth leader in the community lamented that residents have increasingly been prevented from accessing their ancestral land due to the presence of Fulani herders.
According to him, the situation has left the community feeling trapped and helpless.
“These Fulani people have been living in this land and they have not taken even single permission from the community. We have not given them a chance, we have not given them any space for them to live in our own land,” the youth leader said.
“And us, the real owners of the land, we can no longer go there to even take our own farm.”
He added that even women and young people now live in fear of attacks whenever they attempt to access the area.
“Our women cannot even go there. Us, the young people, to even go there to even search for what is going to help us, we cannot even get there because they have been surrounding us,” he said.
“In fact, whenever we are even going there, if we are not many, definitely we will experience this kind of incident.”
The youth leader said the latest killings were not isolated incidents, adding that similar attacks had occurred in recent months.
“Like last month, last two months, the same incident happened that two of my youths again died,” he said.
“I have continued to plead with these youths that are here to even remain calm. I have continued to plead with them to remain calm.”
He explained that the location where the latest attack occurred was the same place where two other people had earlier been killed near an area called Tahir.
The youth leader further alleged that security personnel previously detained residents after a dead cow was discovered in the same area.
According to him, the soldiers demanded that community members produce those responsible for the incident.
“The same place that they killed two people that are around that Tahir is the same place that the death of a cow was found last two weeks, where we were even called for a security meeting for a report,” he said.
According to him, they were detained and asked to provide the people responsible for the cow’s death.
He insisted that those responsible for the attack on the cow were believed to be Fulani individuals who fled the scene.
“And we know that it’s Fulani people. Based on the people that escaped, it’s Fulani people that were even running after this thing. Where are they now?” he asked.
“But lastly, we have to even buy a cow for them. But who is going to pay the life of these youths?”
The youth leader warned that the patience of young people in the community was running out, despite repeated appeals for calm.
“For so many months, I have continued to plead with these youths to remain calm. And I cannot even stop everybody here from doing what they want to do,” he said.
He warned that community leaders should not be blamed if residents eventually resort to taking the law into their own hands.
“And then nobody should come and hold me responsible or hold any committee leader responsible of whatever is going to happen,” he said.
“So we are calling them. If they are not going to guarantee our safety, our security here, we will definitely allow the youth to even take their own step, whatever they want to even do.”
The youth leader also lamented the alleged absence of security personnel and government officials following the latest killings.
“From today, I will not continue to even speak to the journalists. I will not continue to even talk with people like this,” he said.
“But if the security cannot… Imagine since yesterday night that this incident happened, I have not seen anybody.
“I have called the sector, I have called the DSS, I have called the police people.”
He said only officers from the B Division of the police reportedly came to evacuate the injured victim to the hospital.
“If not only the police, the B Division that went to take the other person to the hospital. But nobody has even come here. No government officials have come here.”
The youth leader appealed to the Plateau State Government and the federal government to urgently intervene to prevent further violence.
“So I’m still pleading with the governor of Plateau State, even with the president of Nigeria, to come to our aid,” he said.
“If not, we cannot tell the people what they are going to do.”
“In fact, we are going to allow them to do whatever thing they want to do. And no community leader should be held responsible,” he added.
