PLATEAU COMMUNITY ALLEGEDS THREAT TO LIFE.

The Hausa community of Bisichi in Barkin Ladi
Local Government Area of Plateau State at the
weekend called on Governor Simon Bako Lalong
and other security agents in the state to protect
them from “Berom marauding expansionists”
whom they said have been killing their people.
The community also known as Sabong Gidan Dan
Yahaya is located about 27 kilometres away from
Jos city with a population of nearly 5,000
inhabitants. The community has experienced
several attacks in the past and the most recent
was on the 11th of August, when gunmen
surrounded the community, killed two persons and
injured four others including an officer with the
Special Task Force now Operation Safe Haven.
A paper signed by the community leader, Sarki
Ibrahim Isa and imam of the community, Mal.
Hussaini Muhammad Abubakar, which was
presented to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in
Barkin Ladi, stated that the recent attacks on the
community had nothing to do with the Berom/
Fulani feud but was connected to the 2015
general election.
“Berom people around Bisichi threatened us that
we should not vote for our party of choice but
should vote for Senator Gyang Pwajok and the
PDP,” they alleged.
The statement which attached past corresponding
appeals and petitions to security agents on the
safety of the people since 2011 said between July
30 and August 10, three persons were declared
missing while the corpse of two persons were
recovered by the police and Operation Safe
Haven. It added that by the 11th of August,
“Berom militia had surrounded our community
which led to the killing of Ikirmata Musa
Bilyaminu and Shuaibu Aminu while three persons
are still on admission at the Plateau Special
Hospital in Jos.”
It said even when the Operation Safe Haven
Commander, the Sector 7 commander and the
deputy commissioner of police visited the
community to calm the people, gunshots were
still heard.
It added that the community had written several
complaint letters to security agents expressing
fear that they would be sacked like other Hausa
communities in areas like Kasa, Farin Kasa, Kuru
Jenta and Dorawan Babuje, if a permanent
security unit was not stationed at all roads
leading to Bisichi.
When contacted, the Berom youth leader, Mark
Pam Bot, said his people were not responsible for
the gun shots during the visit of the Operation
Safe Haven commander.
“When the commander came we were all
together trying to sort things out with the
Hausas when we heard gunshots. They all
assumed that it was my people that were
shooting and I tried to call some people to find
out but all the people I called were not in town.
The truth is that we all do not know who shot;
the Hausas just assumed,” he said.
OSH Media and Information Officer, Captain
Ikedichi Iweha, said their men were doing the best
they could in the area and assured the community
that they would continue to work hard to ensure
safety of lives and property.