A community leader in Plateau State, Simon Takbang, has narrated how bandits attacked his community in Chakfem Chiefdom, Mangu Local Government Area, killing 12 people and displacing thousands on Monday.
Takbang, who addressed a press conference in Jos on Friday, disclosed that the bandits, numbering over 1,000, descended on several communities in the chiefdom, including Manden, Tim, Mhidihin, Jibin, Jiblang, Koppang, and Jilem.
“They set houses ablaze, destroyed properties, rustled animals, and killed 12 people, including women and children,” Takbang said.
The leader of the Chakfem Youth Movement listed the names of the victims, including a four-month-old girl, Yilshwal Godwin, and some elderly people and children.
He identified some of them as Mrs Rifkatu Katde (80), Talatu Joel (53), Tapmwan Benard (29), and Messrs Danlami Kyenba (50), Maichibi Sonyen (81), MrIshaku Yohana (26), and Joel Longpwen (62).
“The victims are now recorded in history as martyrs of Chakfem Chiefdom,” Takbang said.
The community leader demanded that the government take immediate action to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
“These attacks are not spontaneous, but well-planned, premeditated, and strategically executed with the sole agenda of dispossessing our people of their ancestral lands, rendering us homeless, hopeless, and altering the demographic structure of our homeland.
“While these activities of the disgruntled elements leave indelible scars in our hearts, we acknowledge the swift response from Government in deploying security agencies to the affected areas, which helped in halting the attack. We also note the provision of relief materials to alleviate our pains. This proves to us that we are not abandoned.
“We call on the government to deploy security personnel permanently in our communities and provide support for rebuilding our destroyed villages,” Takbang said.
The youth leader, who thanked the state Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, for standing with them added, “We Wish to Further Appeal that the Federal and State Governments, through their security agencies, station security personnel permanently in the communities of the two districts of the chiefdom.
“This is critical, as our terrain does not permit quick intervention during emergencies. That there’s the need to hasten the road network in Chakfem to ease movements and any help that might come our way from the security agencies in times like this.”
“That the Government Liase with network providers to boost their network coverage in the area, this will make communication easy and will help in accessing help in terms of invasions and emergencies.
“That the Government Establish a permanent Mobile station and sentry to help in security watch at our borders. In the same vein, that Agro rangers be stationed in all our borders with Quaan-Pan, Bokkos and Nasarawa state as our terrain makes us vulnerable to constant attacks by the bandits.”
