A coalition of citizens’ groups under the Middle Belt Concern (MBC) has urged the Federal Government to intensify efforts to end unlawful killings and displacement in the Middle Belt and facilitate the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their ancestral homes.
The coalition, comprising about 80 groups, made the call at a media roundtable in Lagos with the theme, “Voice, Vision and Justice: Navigating the Middle Belt’s Future in the Nigerian Federation.”
A Co-Convener of the group, Mrs Ier Jonathan-Ichaver, said communities in Benue, Southern Kaduna, Kogi, Kwara, Plateau and other parts of the Middle Belt had endured years of violence, loss of lives and displacement.
She said, “For over a decade, our people in Benue, Southern Kaduna, Kogi, Kwara, Plateau, and across the Middle Belt, have buried their dead and fled their farms.
“The killings must stop, the displaced must be restored, and the politics of denial must end.”
Jonathan-Ichaver said violence and unlawful killings in the region since 2000 had claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced many residents and worsened poverty across affected communities.
According to her, many displaced citizens were now living in makeshift camps, stressing that the victims included mothers, farmers and children who were entitled to protection by the state.
She demanded immediate and verifiable government action, including a credible national count of displaced persons, the physical securing of ancestral communities, trauma care for victims and a binding roadmap for restorative justice.
The MBC Co-Convener also rejected descriptions of the violence as merely farmer-herder or communal clashes, arguing that the attacks had become organised and increasingly widespread.
“What is happening in the Middle Belt is not a clash. It is not a misunderstanding between neighbours.
“It is organised, repeated, and escalating violence that has overrun entire villages, driven millions from their homes,” she said.
Jonathan-Ichaver further alleged that women and children had been subjected to atrocities, including rape and defilement, as a result of the insecurity.
She called on Nigerians to collectively demand an end to the violence and ensure justice for victims.
Another Co-Convener of MBC, Mrs Marie Orgah, urged the government to identify and prosecute the sponsors, supporters and perpetrators of terrorism in the region.
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Orgah said greater emphasis should be placed on justice, care and restoration for victims, warning that failure to punish terrorists could encourage further criminal activities.
She therefore urged the government to ensure that no perpetrator of terrorism was allowed to evade justice.
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