Plateau State is notorious for violent attacks by bandits and armed militia
By CHRISTIANA LOT, Jos –
Women leaders from Plateau State have condemned what they described as an organised genocidal campaign against their people, following the deadly July 15 attack in Riyom Local Government Area, which left at least 27 persons dead.
The attack, which occurred in Binda community, Ta-Hoss village, has triggered widespread outrage, particularly among women groups who say the bloodshed has long surpassed the simplistic framing of farmer-herder clashes.
In a strongly worded statement issued under the platform of the Berom Women Development Association (BWEDA), led by its President, NGO Abigail Banga, and affiliated organisations, the killings were described as cold-blooded executions deliberately targeted at Plateau communities.
They recounted the trauma of seeing butchered babies, slain breadwinners, and destroyed homes, stating that the psychological toll of the unrelenting violence has been devastating to women and children in affected areas.
The statement reads: “As mothers and daughters of the land, we are shedding unseen tears and no words available to us can describe the feeling arising from these murders and destruction of entire communities which have continued in defiance of reason and logic.”
“We are especially traumatised by the constant flow of the blood of our people. The sight of butchered babies, their mothers, and breadwinners keeps our hearts pounding. Burnt homesteads and outright destruction of livelihoods are horrible and heartbreaking sights.”
The statement accused the Nigerian government of failing to adopt a proactive and decisive approach to ending the killings. Instead, it said authorities have resorted to condolence visits and temporary relief materials.
“We have watched with trepidation how these attacks have become repetitive without corresponding government intervention. The response has always been merely reactionary, sadly contained in condolence visits and palliatives, without as much as a decisive final solution,”* it stated.
The women categorically rejected the label of “farmer-herder conflict” to describe the nature of the violence, insisting that the scale, frequency, and precision of the attacks point to a well-organised genocidal plot that must be confronted head-on by the Nigerian state.
They further called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and First Lady Sen. Oluremi Tinubu to intervene beyond symbolic gestures and use their positions to pursue an end to the mass killings, while demanding justice for the victims.
“It is common knowledge that the unprovoked violence visited on our people can no longer be described in simplistic and dishonest statements as herder/farmer crisis. It has become apparent that this is an organised genocidal campaign against our people and land that should be met with comparable force.”
“We appeal to our mother and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu to use her voice and strategic position to contribute to bringing an end to the killings of our innocent children, sons, daughters, husbands and wives.”
They commended the First Lady’s past visits and humanitarian gestures, as well as the solidarity of the Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr. Nentawe Goshwe, who visited the affected community as a federal representative and son of the soil.
The women vowed to continue raising their voices until those behind the killings are brought to justice and the security of Plateau communities is fully restored.
“We demand security for our land and people and justice for victims of these atrocities. We demand action. Enough of all the words and empty promises.”
