By Billa Pius, Jos
The Berom Youths Moulder-Association (BYM) has expressed deep concern over what it described as continued military complacency and compromise following the July 14 attack on Bindi and Jebbu villages in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, which left 27 people dead and displaced over 2,000 residents.
Speaking during a press conference held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat in Jos on Thursday, the President of BYM, Barr. Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, said the pattern of violence witnessed across Plateau communities reflects a systematic strategy of “attack, displace and occupy.”
“This ugly and orchestrated campaign is now a subject of politically correct commentary, rationalization and outright mystification,” Mwantiri said. “It is a deliberate attempt to suit the ethnic egoism of sponsors and perpetrators who appear determined to pursue territorial expansion.”
The group alleged that early warning signs were ignored by security operatives, particularly the Sector 6 Commander of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), Lt. Col. Thomas Paave, despite repeated alerts from community stakeholders prior to the attack.
“Bindi and Jebbu are located along a federal trunk A road and are within three kilometres of two military posts, yet no effective intervention was made,” the BYM President stated. “The same area where the 27 people were killed is the vicinity where a reinforcement team was reportedly stationed before and during the attack.”
In a shocking twist, the association alleged that a former youth leader from the community was shot from behind by a military operative after the attackers had fled.
“We demand answers. There must be accountability for what happened, especially when no attacker was apprehended, wounded, or neutralized during the operation,” he said.
The association is demanding the constitution of an independent investigative panel to unravel the extent of alleged military complicity. They also called for the prosecution of the attackers and their sponsors, justice and compensation for the victims, and immediate humanitarian relief from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction.
“We appreciate the interest of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, through the Hon. Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and the Governor of Plateau State, Barr. Caleb Mutfwang,” Mwantiri added. “But we insist that justice must not only be done but be seen to be done.”
BYM further demanded the unconditional release of Berom youths allegedly arrested indiscriminately in Sagas, Jol, Gyembus, and other communities, whom they said have been held without trial describing the arrests as a “gross violation of constitutional and international human rights.”
The Secretary General of the association, Mr. Bature Iliya Adazaram, urged Berom youths to remain vigilant but law-abiding.
“It should now be clear that the Berom Nation and Plateau State will never surrender to terror or forfeit their ancestral lands to invaders,” he declared.
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