From: Gyang Bere, Jos
A Plateau State-based group, under the aegis of Berom Educational and Cultural Organisation (BECO), has petition Governor Simon Lalong and Department State Service (DSS) over indiscriminate impositions of four District Heads in Jos North local government area of the state.
President of the Group, Da. Ericson Fom, disclosed this during a media briefing, in Jos, while calling for timely intervention of security agencies to avert what might lead to fresh violence in the state.
His words, “BECO draw the attention of Mr. Governor, Department State Service (DSS), all security agencies to advise and prevail on Izere nation to exercise restraint and thread very cautiously on some volatile issues currently brewing, which have the potential and capacity of destroying trust and breaching the relative peace in the state.
“For us, these issues includes; the imposition of one Ada Emmanuel Ajik as the Adagwom Jos Izere Chiefdom on second class status, the claim of one Ama Atang as the District Head of Kabong, the claim of one Kaze Nyam as Adagwom Dong (District Head) and claim of one Peter Nyam as Acting District Head of Jishe (Tudun Wada) all in Jos North local government area.”
Fom lamented that the Afizere and the Berom have enjoyed a wide range of inter communal relationship including inter-ethnic marriages, kinship ties, common linguistic expressions and vowed to resist any attempt to impose District Heads in their domain.
“It is very painful to Berom who are presently witnessing frantic attempts at historical misrepresentation of facts by present upcoming generations of the Izere nation who are either ignorant, deliberately malicious or agents of disharmony and conflict generation.
“By some of these reckless actions and destruction of incontrovertible historical facts, the Izere nation is forcing a new version of history on the Berom and dragging our communities into an unnecessary and avoidable conflict.”
In a swift reaction, Governor Simon Lalong, through his Special Assistance on Media and Publicity, Mark Lonyen, said the governor does not discriminate among the 52 ethnic groups in the state and urged those who are aggrieved to exercise restraint.
He said his administration will look into the alleged imposition of Districts Heads and urged Plateau citizens to continue with their lawful business and report any suspicious movement or action capable of disrupting the current peace in the state.