The Middle Belt Forum has accused perpetrators of the renewed attacks in Plateau State of engaging in genocide against indigenous ethnic groups, calling for urgent government and international intervention.
The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) has raised an alarm over a spike in violence in Plateau State, particularly highlighting a recent attack in Rachas village, Heipang District, Barkin Ladi Local Council, which claimed 13 lives.
In a statement by National Spokesperson Luka Binniyat, the forum described the violence as a “horrifying and escalating campaign of extermination” and warned that “what is unfolding across our land is nothing short of genocide.”
Binniyat contended that the attacks form part of a sustained strategy to erase indigenous communities and seize ancestral lands, invoking the UN Convention on Genocide. The MBF called on the Nigerian government and international agencies to act decisively to protect vulnerable communities.
Meanwhile, in Benue State, the Tyoshin Strategic Group (TSG) voiced concern over the collapse of public schooling in Gwer-West Local Council, linking the failure of the education sector to ongoing herdsmen attacks and widespread insecurity.