The frequent violent attacks on communities across our dear Plateau State are deeply disheartening. So many villages have been displaced, with residents forced to abandon ancestral lands and the properties they spent lifetimes building. What should be home has, for too many, become nothing more than a painful memory.
Today, Plateau is gripped by fear and despair. Farmers who once rose before dawn to tend their fields now weigh every step against the risk of ambush. Children carry books alongside anxiety, unsure whether the school bell will ring or gunfire will scatter them.
Markets that once thrived with vibrant trade now open late and close early. Sometimes they do even open at all for fear of attacks.
The ripple effect is unmistakable: when farmers cannot farm, food supply drops and prices rise. When traders cannot move freely, livelihoods shrink. The entire economic life of the state is being strangled by this persistent menace of violence.
These are not isolated incidents. They are frequent, coordinated and devastating. Families bury loved ones while others sleep in makeshift camps. Women and young people who should be building their futures are instead counting losses. The psychological toll is as severe as the physical destruction. A people cannot truly thrive where fear dictates movement and where nightfall brings dread instead of rest.
This situation demands urgent and proactive measures. Reactive deployments after each attack are no longer enough. Therefore, there is need for intelligence-driven security operations, strengthened community policing built on trust and swift justice that deters perpetrators.
Safe corridors should be created to enable farmers return to their lands. Schools also deserve adequate protection so that learning can continue without trauma and disruption.
We are therefore calling on the attention of the Governor of Plateau State, Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, and all relevant security agencies to treat this menace as a matter of utmost urgency. The constitutional duty to protect lives and property must be visibly felt in Riyom, Barkin Ladi, Mangu, Bokkos and every vulnerable community across Plateau State.
The people of Plateau are resilient. But resilience is not a substitute for safety. They long for the freedom to move without fear, to send their children to school without anxiety and to cultivate their lands once again without the shadow of violence.
It is imperative that decisive action is taken to mitigate this crisis and to protect the lives and livelihoods of citizens. Together, we can begin the difficult work of healing our communities and rebuilding the trust and safety that have been so violently stripped away.
The time to act is now. Our future depends on it.
Sunday Sambo,
Angwan – Rukuba,
P.O Box 472 Jos,
Plateau State