A cleric of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), Reverend Ezekiel Dachomo, suggested that Plateau State has experienced a noticeable decline in bandit attacks and killings over the last two weeks, noting that the development represents the first real sign of relief after years of persistent violence in rural areas.
According to Leadership, it was reported that Rev. Dachomo made the observation on a Channels Television programme on Monday. Known for his role in promoting dialogue between Christian farming communities and Fulani herders, he indicated that the current level of calm is unlike anything seen in recent months.
“I can say that it is getting better, because for two weeks we have not heard that somebody was killed in any village,” he said, noting that for the first time in a long while, villagers have not reported attacks or destruction of farmlands.
“This is what we have been advocating for — to live in peace with Christians and Muslims. Even the destruction of crops, we have not heard.”
Dachomo explained that he had been actively involved in reconciliation initiatives, noting that one of his recent engagements—a particularly emotional dialogue with leaders of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), was part of those ongoing efforts.
“I had to kneel down before Miyetti Allah and beg them to give us peace,” he said. “We’ve always given them the peace they need for so many years. I told them on my knees that we’ve given you peace, and you’ve been supplying crisis to us. They raised me up, and said ‘Thank you’”.
He noted that members of the Fulani community appeared more restrained in recent weeks, adding that a delegation from the Senate had also visited Plateau State to evaluate the security situation. Despite these developments, he stressed that the underlying issues driving the conflict were longstanding and not easily erased.
According to him, the displacement crisis in the state had persisted for more than twenty years. He explained that earlier generations, who were largely illiterate, had welcomed the Fulani to live among them without realising that this hospitality might later be exploited.
He said the tensions became more visible from around the year 2000, recalling that both groups once coexisted peacefully. At the time, the local communities provided the herders with access to irrigation farms and even assisted them during the dry season before the herders returned to the Middle Belt.
However, he said the situation deteriorated when the herders allegedly began attacking farmers in their fields.
He stated that hostilities intensified when the farming communities demanded that the armed groups leave following repeated killings. According to him, the attackers responded by calling in reinforcements.
He alleged that the herders abandoned the land originally given to them by the forefathers of the community and later brought in people from farther north to wage what he described as a jihad.
The cleric expressed concern that more than 161 villages in Plateau State had been displaced and that thousands of residents remained unable to return to their homes. He said many people still had no access to their ancestral communities. View, More,
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