Plateau State Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, has declared that bandits have taken over almost all state’s forests, game reserves and grazing areas.
He made the disclosure on Monday at a stakeholders meeting with eminent citizens of the State over the recent spate of killings.
“Today, there is no senatorial zone in this State that is not without it share conflict.
In Wase, for instance, grazing reserve was developed as far back as the days of Northern Nigeria.
Maybe Honourable Wase will help us trace when that reserve was last put to use, but certainly, for the last ten years or more, that area has been inaccessible.
“Kanam has also come under siege. The intelligence we are getting from Pandam Games Reserved is disturbing. It has become a haven for kidnappers and a sort of stock exchange for ransom transactions. Many of the kidnappings that took place in in Shendam have also been linked to the games reserve”, the Governor said.
He said apart from the Langtang North and Langtang South Councils in the Southern Zone that have been somewhat spared, other local government areas in the state are bombarded by the unfortunate development, adding that it had been a recurring decimal for more than two decades.
“In essence, Plateau is under siege. Why us? Who is behind this? Where are they coming from? Who is sponsoring them? What is their aim? These are the questions I thought I should gather the leaders of Plateau so we can put our head together. For how long shall this continue?”, he asked.
“Perhaps, one reason for this has persisted is because we have, for a long time, failed to come together as Plateau people to speak with one voice. When this crisis started, it was seen as a Tarok problem, later, it becomes Berom problem. Today, none of us has been spared, but it seems we are still acting like everyman for himself”.
Governor Mutfwang added that the State cannot move forward unless it tames the elephant in the room that has haunted the State for the last two decades.
He charged the people of the State to rise up and come together and ensure that the blessed state is preserved and the blessing embedded in it is maximized.
-9News Nigeria.
