Chairman of Bokkos Cultural Development Council (BCDC) Vanguard, Farmasum Fuddang, has given soldiers 48 hours to withdraw from Bokkos Local Council, Plateau State, as their presence cannot guarantee safety any longer.
Fuddang stated this, yesterday, as he lamented that about 30 Bokkos indigenes were confirmed dead from the attacks.
According to him, the soldiers’ alleged involvement in the attack amounts to a declaration of war against the peace-loving people of Bokkos.
BCDC’s stance came on the heels of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) denying any act of complicity by the soldiers in Bokkos in the attack by Fulani herdsmen on the natives.
A statement issued about 11.30p.m. on Sunday by the Media Information Officer (MIO) of OPSH, Major Samson Zhakom, noted that the allegation against the security agencies, particularly the soldiers, of failure to quell hostilities during the April 13, 2024, incident was completely unfounded.
Zhakon added that such an allegation was intended to tarnish the ongoing efforts of all security agencies to flush out militia groups in the area.
He said: “Suffice to state that nothing can be further from the truth than the allegation of personnel being involved in the killing of vigilante members at Kopyal Village in Bokkos.
“It is expedient to note that security agencies deployed to Bokkos were not involved in any confrontation with vigilantes as mischievously claimed, rather pre-occupied with restoring normalcy during the confrontations between militia groups of different ethnic groups on April 13, 2024.”
He believes that kudos should rather be given to the troops, who remained deployed without break for over 72 hours ensuring that the high grounds and other vulnerable communities were dominated, to protect law-abiding citizens.
“The deceased militia was found to be one of those killed by other militias, who invaded the area during the confrontation between rival militia groups in the area. Also, the use of sophisticated weapons by the acclaimed vigilante was further buttressed by the discovery of 11 rounds of 7.62 mm (special) ammunition in the possession of the dead militia.
“This is contrary to claims that he was a vigilante, who was using dane gun to protect his community. Moreover, the acclaimed vigilante was already dead before the troops arrived in the area,” he added.
He also stated that the call for the removal of the Commander of the recently established Step-Up Headquarters in Bokkos, Col C.Y. Ofurumazi, was also malicious.
He urged the public to disregard the misinformation peddled by persons seeking cheap popularity.
Fuddang, however, said: “We view these atrocities not only as an assault on innocent civilians, but as a blatant declaration of war against the people of Bokkos, unless a reasonable explanation is given to the contrary.”
We demand immediate explanations within 48 hours and the withdrawal of soldiers from our towns and cities since their presence cannot guarantee our safety.
“As representatives of the more than 500,000 residents in Bokkos, we are aware and stand with the general call for the replacements of soldiers with policemen.”
