Home of Peace and Tourism?

The appellation of Plateau state as the home of peace and tourism reflects a state void of fierce hostilities. Incidents in recent times have been a stark difference to the state’s slogan as peace has long eluded the state and only worsened, according to the Nextier Violent Conflict Database. Despite responses from the governments and other stakeholders, the scale and severity of the conflicts have persisted to date. Drawing from the Nextier SPD Monthly titled “Plateau: Where Peace is Murdered“, conflict in the state has been driven by farmer-herder tensions and ethno-religious clashes further stoked by the political elite.

The most affected local government areas are Bassa, with 120 deaths; Jos North, with 108 deaths; Jos South, with 50 deaths and Mangu, with 105 deaths between January 2021 and 18^th June 2023. The leading conflicts by deaths in the state are the farmer-herder conflict, gunmen attacks and banditry, with 246, 178 and 164 deaths, respectively, between January 2021 and 18^th June 2023. The killings in the state have been vicious. For instance, attacks and killings in the Mangu Local Government of the state spanned four days of hostilities, and it has spread to neighbouring areas. In the most recent incident in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, seven people were killed following reprisal attacks from the ensuing farmer-herder conflict bringing the death toll to 13. Certain words have trailed the recent attacks in the state, such as “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing” of a minority tribe, as described by the National President of the Mwaghavul Development Association.

Over the years, the effect of the farmer-herder conflict in Plateau has led to mass displacement and loss of lives and property. At least 30,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are scattered across the state. In the state’s most recent incident, arson and looting were also witnessed. This conflict has also greatly affected food security in the state through the destruction of crops and farm products. This further feeds into Nigeria’s food insecurity crisis. About 40% of the Nigerian Population is currently food insecure. Continued farmer-herder conflict and other conflicts will deepen food insecurity.

Responses to wanton killings in the state can be considered ineffective, as the recurrent menace has continued to characterise the state over time. Open condemnation and a promise to bring to book perpetrators of violent crimes sound like a broken record whenever killings occur. In the most recent occurrence, the Plateau State Commissioner of Police, Bartholomew Onyenka, announced the deployment of personnel from the mobile police force. However, this begs to question of how the response differs from previous responses that have failed to curb the killings in the state. Also, The Special Task Force (STF) was set up, comprising security operatives from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Police and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). Ironically, despite the operations of the STF, violent conflicts have surged in the last few years. According to the Nextier Violent Conflict Database, Plateau State recorded 178 deaths from 34 incidents in 2021, while 292 deaths were recorded from 77 incidents in 2022. Between January and 18^th June 2023, 26 incidents have led to 136 deaths. Despite the relocation of the STF headquarters in 2018 to Barkin-Ladi, the epicentre of renewed attacks, mass killings persist, as seen in the most recent incident.

In addressing Plateau state’s violent conflicts, the politicisation of identity markers such as ethnicity, religion, indigenes and settlers must stop as it, directly and indirectly, stokes killings described as “ethnic cleansing”. While deploying police to troubled areas is a step in the right direction but a reactive approach, a proactive approach must be adopted to address the insecurity that has characterised the state in recent years. On a broader scale, handling the conflict in the area requires a high level of familiarity with the landscape for effective policing. Therefore there is a need to deploy security agents who are familiar with the terrain, understand the conflict dynamics and can apply tact in preventing and responding to the violence in Plateau. There is also a need to identify and strengthen local early warning and early response (EWER) mechanisms in the state to mitigate the propensity of identity conflicts.

Furthermore, there is a need for the federal and state governments to facilitate the return of displaced persons, provide humanitarian assistance as well as beef up security in the most affected Local Governments. This humanitarian assistance should provide basic services and livelihood assistance to crisis-impacted communities.