By CHRISTIANA LOT, Jos –
The Plateau State Youth Veterans have called on the United Nations to conduct an independent investigation into what they described as “a calculated genocide and mass land grabbing campaign” against indigenous communities in Plateau State.
Addressing a world press conference on Thursday in Jos, Chairman of the group, Adamu Kevin Kesuwo, said the world must stop ignoring the atrocities being committed in Plateau. He cited attacks in Bokkos, Bassa, Mangu, Barkin Ladi, and Riyom local government areas, alleging that the killings are part of a coordinated plot to depopulate and occupy ancestral lands.
“Over 100 of our people were murdered in cold blood in just under two weeks — between April 2nd and 13th — and no one has been held accountable. We are tired of counting our dead. This is not a farmer-herder clash. This is genocide.”
“In Bassa alone, from 2001 to March 2025, there have been 2,866 coordinated attacks. That resulted in 1,107 deaths, 20,836 houses burnt, and over 27,000 farms destroyed. This is a scorched-earth strategy, and it is deliberate.” he stated.
The group said the security architecture had failed to protect citizens, accusing both federal and state authorities of indifference, and condemned the call by the Arewa Consultative Forum for a state of emergency in Plateau, describing it as a targeted move to suppress victims.
“When villages are under attack and the security agencies are alerted, they always come after the bodies have been counted. We have been abandoned. If the state cannot protect us, then self-defence is not just a right — it is now a necessity.”
“It is appalling that while states like Zamfara, Niger and Borno are grappling with bigger security problems, Plateau is the one they want to punish. This selective outrage is not just hypocritical — it is dangerous.” they noted.
The Veterans said the international silence on the crisis was unacceptable and questioned the seeming double standards of the global community.
“Is Plateau not part of the world?” Kesuwo asked. “When people are killed in Gaza or Ukraine, the world rises in solidarity. But here in Plateau, we are being slaughtered in our sleep and the world is mute.”
He also demanded the full implementation of the Plateau Anti–Land Grabbing Law and the total prohibition of open grazing in the state, and called on the United Nations and other international bodies to speak out and take swift action.
“We are patriotic Nigerians. We are the people who fought for the unity of this country. Why are our communities now being wiped out? This is not just a Plateau issue. This is a test of Nigeria’s soul.”
“We demand an independent investigation. Let the world come and see what is happening here. Let them document it. Let them stop this evil before it is too late.” he declared.
