Gyang Bere, Jos
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said that the Federal Government would release N10 billion to rehabilitate and relocate farmers who have been displaced from their ancestral homes in Plateau State.
Osinbajo disclosed this, on Monday night, while briefing Journalists in Jos after a closed door meeting with warring communities in Plateau State.
“I have given instruction that we don’t want to hear that these killings and maiming of lives continues, the heads of security who are here have taken that very seriously and intend to ensure that there is peace and security.
“We are expecting to release relief materials, already NEMA is here with me and I have instructed them to ensure that relief materials are provided in various areas where they are required.
“Talking about the N10 billion fund which the President has approved mainly for the rehabilitation farmers in the state, that fund is to enable farmers who have lost their farmlands and means of livelihood to start new life and go back to their farms.”
Osinbajo stressed that Federal Government has discussed with the affected people and it is looking for a medium and long time solution to the problem.
“In the medium long time, we are looking at more prominent solution to the problem of insecurity and we have discussed this with the community leaders and they have made their suggestions and we will look at how to implement several of these suggestions.
“Some of the suggestions includes permanent positioning of security agencies in areas that are prone to this violence and we intend to look at that request and to see how we can put in place permanent security; that is the Police and in some cases the Military in some of these places where flash point tend to be.
“We will ensure that there is justice because those who have been killed cannot just be killed and we allow those who carried out the crime to go by, it is not acceptable,it is our duty to ensure that these individuals are prosecuted, we will make sure that those who have been arrested are duly prosecuted and others who are engaged in this heinous act are arrested.”
Meanwhile Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau State, Hon. Damishi Sango, has attacked the Presidency for reducing the act of terrorism in Plateau as activities of politicians.
Sango, who briefed Journalists in Jos on Tuesday said President Muhammadu Buharo does not have regards for the people of Plateau State who lost over 200 persons in Fulani herdsmen attack.
“We are deeply pained that the Presidency is trivializing the ongoing acts of terrorism, reducing it to the activities of politicians.
“Mr. President does not seem to identify with the good people of this state and their travails. It is on record that following the flood incident in Bauchi he did not only sent his Education Minister there, but personally followed the next day where he sobbed as he shared in the pains of the victims.
“Buhari does not consider the loss of precious lives numbering over 200 sufficient reason for him to come over to Plateau to offer condolences to the good people of Barkin-Ladi and the entire state.”
Sango explained that the killings is still ongoing and death bodies were still being recovered as corpses of two clergymen, one a Baptist Pastor and a COCIN Pastor were recovered at Ngar village of Gashish yesterday.
President, Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), Rev. Dachollom Datiri, said the Church lost several persons in the attack and called for the arrest of leader of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) in the North Central if government must prove its innocent.
Rev. Datiri in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer/Protocol Officer to the President said almost all does that were killed are members of COCIN.
“The claims by the MACBAN leadership in the North central region regarding the Plateau killings, which link them to a case of cattle rustling are therefore strongly condemnable and call for action, to arrest and investigate the leaders of the association if the government must prove its innocence on the allegations of planning to Islamize the country.
“Right now, we are left to mourn the death of many of our members and sympathize with those whose homes and sources of livelihoods have been taken from them on account of missing cows that not only compare to the value of human lives but are not proven by a competent court of law to have been taken or killed by our people who are under attack.”