Plateau State Governor, Barr. Caleb Mutfwang, has again assured justice for the families of wedding guests who were killed by a mob in Mangun District of Mangu Local Government Area last month while traveling for a wedding ceremony in Quan Pa’an council of the state.

The victims, who were traveling from Zaria, Kaduna State, for the wedding ceremony had missed their way and found themselves in Mangun where they were mistaken for terrorists and attacked by a mob, killing about 22 of them in the process, while 11 others were injured in the incident.

But while reassuring the families of the victims of his administration’s resolve to get justice for the decreased, Gov. Mutfwang said his administration is working with authorities in Kaduna State to come up with measures that will be satisfactory to all.

Mutfwang, who gave the assurance while speaking with the BBC Haua Service on Saturday, lamented that “conflicts related to the deep-rooted hatred between followers of different religions and ethnic groups, which sometimes involve innocent travelers, cannot be ended in a short period of time.”

He, however, stressed that his government is taking appropriate measures regarding the killings with a view to ensuring justice for the families of the victims.

According to the Plateau governor, some of the measures already taken include sending a ‘special delegation’ led by the Emir of Wase to console the Emir of Zaria where the victims were from.

“The current situation is that around 22 people are being held over the attack and we have confirmed that those who were injured have returned home safely.

“And we are currently in contact with the leaders of Zaria to advise us on how to help the bereaved families and those who are sick,” Gov. Mutfwang said.

President of the Middle Belt Forum, Pogu Bitrus has assessed the continuous attack on the North-Central geo-political zone of the country.

In this interview with Ekwutosblog , Bitrus proffered possible solutions to end the incessant attacks on the region and Nigeria at large. Excerpts! 

What is your assessment of the incessant insecurity ravaging North-Central Nigeria?

First of all, that narrative of farmers-herders is one thing we don’t accept but Fulani terrorists on farmers and unsuspecting civilians living in the North–Central geo-political zone of Nigeria. Now the attack is one of the most dastardly ones, because in the past they just shot people but now they burn people alive in their rooms. Now this is something very new in the terrorist attack or the mode of operation of terrorists in this country. It’s so unfortunate, so unacceptable, so dastardly.  And the unfortunate thing is that for so many years we continue to tell the security forces and to Nigerians where these people reside.

They are all in Nasarawa, where they take off and attack Benue, Plateau, Southern Kaduna and Taraba. It is totally unacceptable. We cannot have a country and then the security forces will be there and be watching and people will even raise distress calls nobody will come. They are receiving taxpayers money. They know where the terrorists are and they are not rooting them out, allowing them to freely attack and kill innocent civilians.

These clashes have been going on for a very long time now in the North Central. How do you access the federal government’s efforts in tackling the matter?

The Government has not allowed people to own arms the way they should or arm people to some level so that they can defend themselves and people have been killed the way they have been killed. It’s unacceptable and this terrorism has to stop if we have a government. Let the government do what is needed. Let me tell you what people are not looking at. Who is the National Security Adviser, NSA? A Fulani man.  Who is the Minister of Defense? A Fulani man. Who is the Minister of State for Defense? A Fulani man. We even learnt that the second in command to the NSA is a Fulani man.

In a country which is so plural with Fulanis, I think they constitute up to 20 percent in this country. So what is wrong with us? What is wrong with governance? Something is wrong. So this thing is so unacceptable. Is it that the President deliberately did it so these people can have easy passage to destroy and kill our people?  We know what is going on and it has to stop. Enough is enough.

There have been claims from some quarters that the attack on the people of North-Central Nigeria is a coordinated and genocidal one. What is your take on this? 

That is absolutely correct. That is what I’m saying too. And it is not only the one in Benue. Now, the one on the Plateau and other places are just the same. One ethnic nationality is being attacked and killed. Many are terrorising innocent civilians. Go to Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs camps and see for yourself the plights of people Fulani terrorists displaced from their ancestral lands. And I think our government is too sensitive to this thing. Our government is rewarding them, for example on the Plateau they have certain land there. A large hectare of land is being given to them. The government did not think of Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto and the far North, where they have their residents. They came to the North Central, attacking, maiming, raping and killing innocent people in their ancestral homes.  So Nigeria has a big problem to be solved. We are just keeping quiet but we are not quiet, because our quietness is not stupidity.

Do you think this incessant attack on the North Central, especially Benue, is as a result of the open grazing prohibition law?

The anti-open grazing law came about as a result of the attack. They were attacking Benue before the anti-open grazing law was introduced. It is not the other way round. So these people have been attacking Benue, Plateau, Southern Kaduna, and parts of Taraba, and it has been known for years. They will kill hundreds and go scot free. People will come to lament, it will die down as if that will end and they will do another one that is worse. The anti open grazing law would have sorted this issue.

The only way out of the crises in Nigeria is ranching.  But the Fulanis have brought their brothers from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Togo, Senegal, and other places to occupy Nigeria. When we say there should be ranching, and this ranching should be community based but they don’t want to hear because they want all these foreign Fulanis to occupy our land, the same demography making them a major nationality in Nigeria, taking over ancestral land of this country in the Middle belt.

Just wait and see we cannot be stupid. Our parents even fought the British. We are Middle belters because when the British came we were independent of the Caliphate of Borno and it will remain so. The government wants to take over our ancestral land. Our motto is our people, our land, our education and we are ready to defend that land.

What do you think is the way forward to nip this insecurity saga in the bud?

To address the attack, because the federal government has failed, there should be state police in all the local government areas. If you want to defend your land, it should be done through an organised government structure, otherwise there would be chaos. Although, there are some vigilantes in some areas but they too have failed.

The protocol document signed by the former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, which allows Fulanis to move all over the country should be abolished and send foreign Fulanis back to their countries to do their businesses there, not here in Nigeria.

Ranching should be introduced and it should be community based. Every community in Nigeria must know their local Fulanis. Those that have been with them since Independence in 1960. Such people can get land in the area where they are known, where there are agreements and let them practise ranching, because ranching is the way forward. It is the globally accepted method of animal husbandry and should be practised in Nigeria as well.

Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya (rtd), has called for a comprehensive and uncompromising reform in recruitment, training, and performance evaluation to strengthen the Nigerian Army’s professionalism and combat effectiveness.

He made this call while delivering a lecture at the Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL) 2025, held at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) Kaduna on Saturday.

He emphasized that courage, vigilance, and uncompromising standards must guide every stage of a soldier’s career—from recruitment and training to operational deployment.

“Recruitment and selection into the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) and Depot Nigerian Army must be thorough and uncompromising. There is no room for weakness or mediocrity. We must be courageous and firm in weeding out bad eggs at every stage,” Yahaya stated.

He said the evolving modern threats and impacts on current training must include a change in training paradigms to reflect, not only conventional warfare, but also terrorism, asymmetric warfare, ideological extremism, and cyber threats.

He suggested a modification of military training. programs to include important strategic courses on emotional intelligence, military psychology, counter-terrorism tactics, and social media awareness.