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Dong community alleges incessant attacks by Fulani, seeks Government's intervention.
By Lovings Yakubu
May 04, 2018
Dong Community in Jos North Local Government Area of
Plateau State North Central Nigeria has called on government to protect it from
incessant attacks by suspected Fulani herdsmen. This appeal was made on Friday
by community leaders of Dong and Mai Farin Mota during the burial of a 26 year
old man David Musa Ado who was killed by some people suspected to be Fulani
herdsmen on Thursday.
According to Yakubu Abok, the Madaki Dong, the
killing of David on Thursday evening was the third
in less than one week. The community
leader said two other youths namely; Jonathan and Sunday were way laid and
killed by the suspected Fulani on Saturday 27 April, 2019 on their way back to
Dong from where they had gone for local mining activity about two kilometers
from Dong.
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| Yakubu Abok, the Madaki Dong |
Also speaking to African Drum, Friday Arivi, a youth leader in the community said
that on that fateful day, they heard sporadic gun shots at about 5:30pm and
since the community was on red alert since the killing of two youths few days
back, they quickly mobilized themselves and moved towards the direction of the
gun short close to the mountains where they spotted two Fulani on the fringe of
the mountain.
According to Arivi, “when they saw us
coming, they took to their heels and ran across the hills to their settlement
close to Maifarin Mota village. At that moment, we didn’t know anything has
happened. We though they were coming to attack Dong. It was after returning to
Dong that we learnt that David had earlier headed towards the direction we saw
the Fulani. We had to mobilized ourselves again and return to the hills side
where we eventually discovered the corpse
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| Audu Barry, the Village Head of Maifarimota |
Arivi said the Fulani were behind the
killings. “We are accusing the Fulani because they are responsible. We saw them
and they run through the mountains”. When asked whether the incidents were
reported to the police, both the Madaki and the youth leader answered in the
affirmative.
The village head of Maifari mota, (a community
that is about three kilometers from Dong ), Audu Barry while speaking to African Drum said the Fulani invaded
the community in October 2018 and razed it down completely “And as I speak to
you, these is no single house standing in that community and all its in
habitants are taking refuge here in Dong including myself”| said the village
head. A refugee who spoke to this magazine on condition of anonymity said after
the invasion last year, the special task force (STF) responsible for peace
keeping in Jos drafted its personnel and stationed there.
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| Friday Arivi, a Youth leader in Dong |
The development according to him
prompted the commencement of reconstructing the community but that just few
weeks ago, the STF personnel were removed and the Fulani did not waste time in
bringing down the structures that have been erected.
“There is no single indigene in that
place. However, the information we are receiving currently is that the Fulani
have stated occupying the place.” On whether there was an outstanding issue
between the natives and Fulani in Maifarin mota, the village head said there
was none. He said that when the STF drafted its personnel into the community
after the Fulani attack last year, the task force immediately summoned for a
meeting between the Fulani and the natives where the Fulani made it
categorically clear that they don’t have any issue with the people of the
community but the Irigwe.
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| The hills where the suspected Fulani are said to have escaped through |
“We were all shock at that statement.
so, asked why they attacked us? I also
told them to go and sort out what ever issue they have with the Irigwe and
leave us alone. Even the district head of Dong (which Maifarin Mota is under
his jurisdiction) questioned the rationale for attacking Mai farin Mota which
is in Jos North LGA while the Irigwe are in Bassa LGA. As a matter of fact, I
really did know what the Fulani want from us. Is it our land? It is for this
reason that I am calling on the authority concerned with a strong voice to look
deep into this issue and make sure that whoever that is responsible is made to
face the full wrath of the law. We are
peace loving people and have been living peacefully with the Fulani but we
really don’t know what has become of them in recent time.” He said.
All
efforts to talk to the Police Public Relations Officer Plateau state Command,
Mathias Tyopev on the issue proved abortive.
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