FORMER Minister of Sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung has cried for the Federal Government to stop the killings in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State. He called it “targeted annihilation”.
In a press statement he signed for the Movement for the Emancipation of Nigeria, MEN, he condemned and blamed “the relentless violence” on government ignoring the killings. plaguing Bokkos Local Government Area in Plateau State.
The statement painted a grim picture of mass murder, ethnic cleansing, and what they describe as the “targeted annihilation” of innocent citizens, with the latest attacks between April 2 and 3, 2025, claiming over 60 lives.
Horrifying toll of the recent assaults on communities such as Mangor Tamiso, Daffo, Manguna, Hurti, Tadai, and Ruwi listed women, children, and the elderly among the victims.
“Their homes were torched and lands desecrated by militias operating with genocidal intent,” according to MEN’s statement. MEN alleged that the attackers were Fulani.
“This is not random – it is systematic, coordinated, and genocidal,” the statement declared, accusing the perpetrators of seeking the “slow but deliberate erasure of indigenous Christian communities” under the guise of farmer-herder conflicts.
MEN’s outrage is matched by its frustration with the Nigerian government and security agencies, whose “glaring silence and ineffectiveness” have left the people of Bokkos defenceless. “How many more mass graves must be dug before Nigeria acts?,” the group demanded, echoing the desperation of a region under siege.
The statement outlines a series of bold demands, including the immediate designation of the Fulani militias as terrorist organisations, the establishment of a special tribunal to investigate the killings, and the deployment of a permanent security task force to Bokkos.
MEN also called for the eviction of “foreign mercenaries and land-grabbers” and urged civil society groups, religious leaders, and youth movements to break their silence on Bokkos. “A people abandoned by their government is a people who must rise to protect themselves,” the group warned, hinting at the potential for self-defence if the state continues to fail.
In a nod to local resilience, MEN praised the Butura Development Association for its solidarity with the grieving residents of Ruwi, calling it a beacon of the “true Plateau spirit.” Yet the group emphasised that the crisis transcends regional boundaries: “This is a Nigerian crisis.”
The statement also called on the international community, rights organisations and global watchdogs to document what MEN labelled a genocide. “Let the world know: Bokkos shall not bleed in vain,” it asserterd. “MEN will not stand by while our people are slaughtered.”
As the death toll rises and the cries for justice grow louder, the question remains: Will Nigeria – and the world – finally act, or will Bokkos continue to bleed?
