By: Amb. Valentine Adese (JP),
The Gideon and Funmi-ParaMallam Peace Foundation has joined other concerned organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to visit some communities in Plateau State that came under heavy attacks by gunmen on 24/12/2023 being the 2023 Christmas Eve.
Dr. Gideon ParaMallam, who led a team of his Peace Foundation to Bokkos Communities to sympathize with the people on Friday expressed concern over the level of devastation in the communities.
ParaMallam, also visited the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who were camping at different locations including those at the COCIN Church in Bokkos and donated some relief materials to them including mattresses, bags of grains among other food stuffs.
Speaking with Journalists ParaMallam said, “We have come here to Bokkos and we have seen and heard from the people. The attacks in Bokkos villages have been very devastating. The loss of lives and the degrading of human dignity has been very painful.
“Our Peace Foundation came to make a call for peace, to appeal to the people of Bokkos for restraints.
“We have also come to see things for ourselves so that we can promote the cry for Justice for the people of Bokkos.
“Our Peace Foundation believes in peace building that is predicated on justice.
“That useless narrative that goes around that makes it look as if it is Bokkos people, who have been fighting and killing themselves is a complete fallacy and a lie. Bokkos People are not killing themselves. “We have talked with them and heard from them and I believe that our visit will not only throw more light on what Bokkos people have gone through but to encourage Nigerians to rise in unison to condemn the terrorism that took place on Christmas Eve and right after that.
“The only way to bring peace to Bokkos Communities is to return them back to their communities”.
You would recall that it has been reported that, apart from over 25 communities in Bokkos Local Government Area (LGA), the gunmen also attacked other communities in Barkin Ladi and Mangu LGAs and killed over 150 persons, while properties worth millions of naira were destroyed, more than Ten Thousand villagers were said to have been displaced during the attacks.
Some of the affected communities included: Mangur village, Mbar, Tangur, Bokkos Central, Butura, Mushere, Matellem village, Dung village, Yelwa village among others.
In another development, the new Sector Commander of Operation Safe Haven in charge of Bokkos, Lt. Col. Isaac Indiorhwer, has allayed fears of any fresh attack in the communities and assured that they were doing everything possible to restore peace in the trouble communities.
The Commander gave this assurance on Friday when the President of Gideon and Funmmi ParaMallam Peace Foundation visited the Command’s Headquarters in Bokkos, after a tour of the troubled communities
He also dismissed the claim that troops had abandoned the troubled communities
The Commander said, “Today (Friday) is making Ten days since I was deployed to Bokkos. We have been patrolling the communities. It’s only today (Friday) that we did not go out. We have also been engaging the communities. In fact, we will have a meeting with the Chairman and other stakeholders tomorrow.
“I can assure you that the next news story you will be getting is that peace has returned to Bokkos and other communities in Plateau state”
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