With all due respect, the Fulbe Rigiza TRGWONG Youths Consultative Forum wants to bring to your desk the recent rights infringement of 13 innocent citizens of the Yelwan Zangam community and environs of Jos North local government area, Plateau state, who have been under police custody for about two months.
However, these people were invited to Katako police station by the police on August 18, 2021, for an investigation over the recent crisis among unscrupulous elements residing around the Yelwan Zangam community.
Initially, the police took the Ardo of Jos North, Ardo Aliko Sa’ad, and Malam Abdulhadi Umar, the village head of Yelwa community for investigation; the victims cooperated with the policemen in their quest to restore peace in the area, but since then, these people are nowhere to be found.
Notwithstanding, the same security men came and arrested another set of 11 innocent people. That is to say, a total of 13 people have been under police custody for about two months.
Thus, as a matter of urgency, we want the Plateau state government to set up a committee to follow up on this case to ensure justice.
All the people apprehended by the police are law abiding citizens as well as peace ambassadors in the Yelwan Zangam community. However, none of them has ever been found guilty of any criminal offence.
Fundamentally, both parties need to be invited or apprehended during the crisis and Yelwa community people alone. When the clash happened between the Anaguta and Yelwa people, the police didn’t invite anyone from the Anaguta community.
On this, we are accusing the Plateau state government, the state’s commissioner of police, and other security agents of being the masterminds behind their illegal detention for about two months now.
As peace lovers, the entire Fulbe Rigiza TRGWONG Youths Consultative Forum is saddened by the development and calls on the Plateau state government to intervene immediately in the matter, bring those involved to book, and do justice to these innocent people.
However, the association is always willing to assist the government in conducting investigations into the perpetrators of these crimes and bringing them to book in its pursuit of peace in the glorious Plateau.
Finally, please release these people as they have no hand in the act, rather they are peace ambassadors in the state before the aggrieved people started taking destiny into thier hands. A stitch in time saves nine. Long live Plateau state, long live Nigeria.
Ibrahim Abubakar, President, Fulbe Rigiza TRGWONG Youth Consultative Forum, Jos north Plateau state.
