The Berom in Diaspora Coalition (BDC), along with the Berom Educational and Cultural Organization (BECO), Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM), Berom Women Development Association (BEWDA), and the Berom Elders Council (BEC), have jointly issued a renewed warning about what they term “prolonged genocide and systematic land grabbing” targeting the Berom ethnic group and other indigenous communities in Plateau State and the Middle Belt region.
Their spokesman, Barry Dazhi, speaking to journalists, stated that the violence, which started more than twenty years ago, continues without sufficient government action. The coalition claims that for over twenty years, people in the Fan District of Barkin Ladi, Riyom, Jos South, and surrounding areas have faced sustained attacks, resulting in homes burnt, farmlands destroyed, and thousands of deaths. They cited data showing over 10,000 Berom people have been killed, 151 communities displaced, and large areas of land forcefully occupied by Fulani bandits.
The groups accused successive administrations of ignoring the situation despite repeated calls for help, labeling the inaction as “complicity and failure of leadership.” They asserted that a government that is lenient with attackers and punishes victims is effectively an accomplice, questioning Nigeria’s claim to nationhood if terrorists are allowed to massacre indigenous people without punishment.
Furthermore, the coalition expressed worry over alleged threats to the lives of three prominent Berom activists: Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, Masara Kim (a journalist and media advocate), and human rights lawyer Barr. Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri. They noted that credible intelligence reports suggest a network of Fulani bandits from Nasarawa State has infiltrated Plateau with intentions to abduct or assassinate these activists because of their outspoken campaigns against terrorism and injustice.
The BDC warned that these threats are part of a wider effort to silence those exposing the ongoing atrocities. They cited intelligence reports indicating renewed infiltration and the establishment of armed camps in several parts of Plateau State, including Riyom, Barkin Ladi, Jos South, and Bokkos Local Government Areas, and listed locations allegedly renamed and taken over by the attackers. They urged security agencies to intervene immediately and dismantle these enclaves.
The BDC called on the Federal Government, the National Assembly, and the international community to act decisively and officially label Fulani militants as terrorists. They also demanded the immediate release of the \text{N}10 billion previously pledged for victim rehabilitation, the prosecution of those who committed and sponsored the attacks, and the implementation of long-term peace and security measures, including community-based policing and respect for ancestral land rights.
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