Cleric laments plight of displaced Plateau villagers

Forum 9 months ago

Cleric laments plight of displaced Plateau villagers

A social justice peace advocate, Rev. Gideon Para-Mallam, on Sunday, expressed concern about the condition of internally displaced persons camped in schools and other open places in Plateau State.

The PUNCH reports that in the past three months, no fewer than 300 persons had been killed in different Plateau communities in several attacks carried out by gunmen.

During such attacks, the gunmen also set several houses on fire, forcing the surviving victims to flee their homes, leaving many communities deserted.

Speaking with journalists on Sunday after he led a delegation of Gideon and Para-Mallam Peace Foundation to the troubled Mangu Local Government Area, where over 18,000 displaced persons were taking refuge in a primary school, the peace advocate described their situation as pathetic.

He called on the government to redouble its efforts to end the killings to enable the people to return to their ancestral villages.

Para-Mallam said, “The humanitarian disaster that has befallen the people of Mangu has been catastrophic, disturbing.

“The visit is to identify with the victims and support them in a little way to cushion the effects of the tragedy and devastation of their properties by the attackers.

“We can see the vast number of IDPs, over 18,000 of them here (Mangu Primary School) comprising children, women, orphans, widows, husbands, and widowers.

“You can imagine the plight of a less than-two-year-old baby, whose mother and father were killed. I was moved to tears but I have to control myself.

“The government needs to stop the impunity of people coming to kill people and walking away. It’s unacceptable. I think the government needs to sit up and say enough is enough.”

The foundation, which on arrival paid homage to the paramount ruler of Mangu, commiserated with him and his subjects over the losses following the attacks on their communities.