By Our Correspondent
National News – The National Publicity Secretary of the Berom Youth Moulders Association, Rwang Tengwong, said he has witnessed at least five families completely wiped out in separate attacks by gunmen in Plateau State over the years.
Speaking during an interview on the recent attacks on Kum and Wereng-Camp communities, Tengwong described the killings as part of a disturbing pattern of violence that has persisted in the state for years.
According to him, gunmen simultaneously attacked the two communities at about 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, with the assault lasting for about an hour into Sunday morning.
He said the attackers, who came in large numbers, stormed a house on the outskirts of one of the communities and killed nine members of an extended family. Only one survivor, who sustained serious injuries, reportedly escaped and is receiving treatment in hospital.
Among those killed, Tengwong said, was a three-month-old baby alongside the child’s parents. He added that the baby’s father was the 21-year-old son of the family head, while the child’s 19-year-old mother also died in the attack.
Tengwong noted that the attackers targeted vulnerable homes, adding that such incidents had occurred repeatedly since 2009.
“I have witnessed more than five families wiped out in attacks,” he said.
He alleged that following attacks on communities, residents often flee while new occupants later settle on the abandoned land. He claimed that more than 130 communities in Plateau State had been affected by such displacement.
The Berom youth leader also questioned the response of security agencies, saying no arrests had been made in connection with the latest attacks despite the presence of security checkpoints near the affected communities.
He criticised the inability of local vigilante groups to effectively confront heavily armed attackers, noting that they lack access to sophisticated weapons and legal authorisation to carry firearms.
According to him, Operation Rainbow, the Plateau State security outfit established years ago, has not been licensed by the Federal Government to acquire arms, limiting its operational capacity.
Tengwong further alleged that additional attacks occurred days after the latest incident, with one person reportedly killed in another community, while security operatives were instead responding to complaints over alleged cattle shootings.
He called on the Federal Government to adopt a different approach to tackling insecurity in Plateau, arguing that the violence predates the Boko Haram insurgency and should not be dismissed as ordinary farmer-herder clashes.
He also urged the government to improve border security, identify those responsible for the attacks and ensure the resettlement of displaced communities, many of whom, he said, have remained unable to return to their ancestral homes for more than two decades.
