by Christiana Gokyo, Jos

PLATEAU STATE – The National Association of Mwagavul Development Association (MDA), Sir Joseph Gwankat (Makaman Panyam), has cried out over the persistent killing of its people in their villages in Mangu, and suggested to the Federal Government to declare MACBAN a terrorist organization because of the heinous crimes that its members are perpetrating in various parts of Nigeria. The MDA National President disclosed this during a Press Conference in Jos over the weekend.

Briefing newsmen, he said, “A total number of 204 people have been recorded killed, while several people are still missing and about 53 villages have been attacked, which started from April till date.”

He called on government to take full responsibility of educating children below the ages of 10, who have lost both parents as a result of the attacks, while arrangements should be made for the SS3 Students whose WAEC Exams were disrupted as a result of these attacks.

According to him, the Mwagavul people are peace-loving, who have never attacked anyone – and will never attack anyone; “and we are determined to live in peace with our neighbors and good ethnic nationalities.

He said, but one thing they cannot afford to do is to fold their arms and watch their villages being overrun by terrorists and the people being killed by some terrorists.

While condemning the allegations by one Muhammad Salihu Musa, who is Secretary of MACBAN in Mangu and Chairman of MACBAN in Plateau State, Nuru Abdullahi, which has gone viral on social media with spurious allegations, he claimed that Operations Rainbow operatives attacked them in Mangu local government.

He noted that, they find this amusing but also a calculated attempt to paint black the image of the state government, under the leadership of Barr. Caleb Mutfwang, and to suggest that it’s biased in handling the situation.

While challenging them to provide evidence of their claims, Nuru Abdullahi admonish them to desist from doing so and genuinely embrace peace and stop playing the victim.

According to him, at the moment they are still mourning their dead and losses “as a result of their continuous aggression on our people,” and urged them to allow them to do so without adding salt and injury.

He urged the good people of Plateau State to remain calm and peaceful, just as they have always been, even in the face of provocation by their attackers, and urged the people to remain steadfast, firm and unshakable in defence of their ancestral lands.

It could be recall that, recently the Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders’ Association of Nigeria, Plateau State, Muhammad Nuru Abdullahi, had earlier condemned the recent killings in some local government areas of the state, describing it as barbaric and unfortunate.

While in an interview with our correspondent in Jos, he said “These killings will not take us anywhere, despite the killings of both sides, Fulani, Mwagavel or Berom, and whoever it is, is condemnable act.”

He was reacting to the persistent killings in some local government areas for f the State, especially Mangu, Riyom and Bokkos, respectively.

“We should try as much as possible to resolve our grievances and be in peace, as peace is the most expensive thing that we should embrace, so that we enjoy our lives,” he stated.

According to him, “With these killings, nothing is going on – religion or farming; everything has stopped because of these killings. So, I am calling on the general public in the State with the long coexistence that has been in existence for a long time, as we have lived in peace with one another we should continue.”