Solomon Dalung, the former Minister of Youth and Sports under ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, has delivered a powerful indictment against the Nigerian federal government regarding the recent violent events in Bokkos Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau State. During an appearance on 'The Morning Show' on Arise News TV, Dalung argued vehemently that the terminology surrounding these brutal attacks is crucial. He insisted that they should not be dismissed as mere farmer-herder clashes, but rather recognized as acts of terrorism and genocide.
Dalung highlighted the dangers of mislabeling these violent occurrences as ethnic or communal strife, explaining that such terminology underestimates the extensive scale and malicious intent of the violence. "The violence we are witnessing is not a farmer-herder conflict; it is terrorism," he said. "These groups operate in enclaves similar to those in Nigeria's Northeast, engaging in cattle theft, land seizure, and the establishment of a parallel governance system in the bushes."
His remarks were made amid reports of escalating attacks in Plateau State. The Bokkos Cultural Development Council (BCDC) reported that suspected bandits killed more than 10 individuals on a recent Wednesday night, with the death toll jumping to 52 by the following Saturday. This massacre occurred just a week after a similar incident in a neighboring community.
"There is no such thing as herder-farmer clashes in Plateau," Dalung asserted. "These are terrorists who seize land, commandeer cattle, and displace local populations. They have established a form of governance in the wilderness, which is well-known."
Dalung did not shy away from criticizing the federal government's efforts or lack thereof in managing the crisis. He dismissed the recent creation of a Ministry of Livestock as an ineffective distraction. "Let's not pretend that the Ministry of Livestock can solve this problem," he said. "The real issue is the lack of political will. If there was genuine commitment to address this crisis, the true nature of these individuals would be acknowledged they are terrorists."
The former minister also challenged the excuses made by security forces regarding their inability to reach affected areas due to poor infrastructure. "In a technologically advanced society like ours, suggesting that security operations are limited by access roads is perplexing. What happened to drones, surveillance cameras, and other tools for intelligence gathering?" he questioned.
Dalung cautioned that the continued failure to correctly categorize these events would only embolden the perpetrators and leave vulnerable communities at risk. "To truly address the situation in Plateau," he emphasized, "we must cease pretending that it is simply herder-farmer clashes. It is terrorism. It meets the international definition of genocide. When one group attacks another with the intent of extermination, or employs starvation as a tactic to eradicate a community, that is genocide."
He further criticized the tendency to attach ethnic labels to the attackers, arguing that such categorizations obscure their criminal behavior. "While they may predominantly belong to a particular ethnic group, their actions do not serve the interests of that community. They are criminals, and failing to treat them as such misses the point."
In a biting conclusion, Dalung took aim at the government's repeated assurances that they are "on top of the situation." "We will continue to see government officials visiting Plateau State, claiming to be in control, while the real criminals remain unchecked," he remarked.
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