Community leaders and youth representatives from Bokkos, Mangu, Barkin Ladi, Riyom, Bassa, Bokkos and Mangu local government areas have rejected the description of the violence in Plateau State as a farmer-herder conflict, insisting that the attacks amount to organized land grabbing and genocide against indigenous communities.
The position was made during a stakeholders' engagement with security officials and community leaders in Jos, where representatives of affected communities presented their grievances and called for urgent government intervention.
Speaking on behalf of communities, the Irigwe Youth President, Ezekiel Peter Bini, argued that the killings and destruction witnessed across Plateau cannot be classified as farmer-herder clashes.
"What is happening to us is purely land grabbing and genocide. When women, pregnant mothers, children and sleeping babies are killed in their homes, it cannot be described as a farmer-herder clash," he said.
The community leaders alleged that attackers often invite armed individuals from outside Plateau State and neighbouring countries to carry out assaults before retreating to occupied settlements.
Also, the National Publicity Secretary of the Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM), Rwang Tengwong, said the violence was being perpetuated by individuals who were not known to local communities.
He alleged that foreign nationals from neighbouring countries were entering Plateau through established routes and participating in attacks.
According to him, more than 75 indigenous communities across Plateau have been displaced and are currently inaccessible to their original inhabitants.
"Today, many of these communities are occupied, and the natives cannot return. If they attempt to go back, they either lose their lives or return with injuries," he said.
The youth leader called on security agencies to treat the perpetrators as enemies of the state rather than viewing the crisis solely as communal violence.
The stakeholders also expressed concern over the destruction of farmlands by grazing cattle, arguing that repeated attacks on farms have threatened the livelihoods of local farmers.
They maintained that incidents of cattle deaths often occurred after animals strayed into cultivated farms where agricultural chemicals had been applied.
"We don't poison cattle. We apply chemicals on our farms. When cattle graze on those farms, the consequences follow," Tengwong explained.
Representatives from Mushere Chiefdom in Bokkos Local Government Area reported that over 40 communities had been displaced following attacks in recent years, leaving thousands of residents unable to return home.
President of the Mushere Youth Movement, Gugam Jones Murakis, said many displaced residents had lost access to their farmlands and means of livelihood.
"If it is not land grabbing, why are the attackers still occupying those communities while our people cannot return?" he asked.
The stakeholders further alleged that isolated killings, kidnappings and attacks on farming communities continued despite previous peace engagements.
They urged the Federal Government and security agencies to intensify operations in identified flashpoints, particularly border areas linking Plateau with neighbouring Nasarawa State, which they described as major infiltration routes for armed attackers.
The groups also highlighted poor telecommunications coverage in rural communities, saying inadequate network services often delayed the transmission of distress calls during attacks.
While expressing support for ongoing peace initiatives, the community representatives said local youths had committed to suspending reprisals and reporting incidents through official channels, but stressed that visible justice and prompt security responses were necessary to sustain public confidence.
The stakeholders called for the restoration of displaced communities, improved security deployment in vulnerable areas, protection of farmlands and stronger measures to prevent further attacks across Plateau State
