Abuja-based real estate developer and indigene of Plateau State, Mr. John Gamasaura Katura, has described the recent killings in Bokkos and Bassa as part of a calculated campaign to displace indigenous communities and seize their ancestral lands, warning that silence in the face of the violence amounts to complicity.

Katura, who is the MD/CEO of JOKATU Property Development Limited, condemned the attacks which left over 100 persons, mostly women and children, dead and properties worth hundreds of millions destroyed. He urged the people of Plateau State to rise above partisan politics and unite to protect the heritage of their forebears.

He stated: “These barbaric attacks must be condemned in strong terms by every sane and rational mind

“It is no longer suspicion but an established fact that the incessant massacres on the Plateau is an orchestrated and well-coordinated plan to impoverish and intimidate the people towards taking over their ancestral land.”

While commiserating with victims’ families, Katura accused some unnamed leaders of shielding perpetrators of the violence by pushing false narratives.

“And in spite of sufficient evidence pointing to the identities and motives of these killers, yet, some so-called leaders have continued to shield them by spreading false narratives of either farmers-herders conflicts or communal clashes,” he said.

According to him, the frequency and pattern of attacks, spanning nearly two decades, point to an “expansionist agenda” that threatens the soul of Plateau State.

Commending Governor Caleb Mutfwang for what he described as “courageous leadership in difficult times,” Katura praised the state government’s swift response and provision of relief materials to displaced persons.

“I commend His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Plateau State, Barr. Caleb Mutfwang, for his prompt response and measures taken to avert further attacks.

“Despite the trauma, he has remained focused, resilient and determined to defend the people of Plateau.”

Reacting to reports of arrests made by security agencies, Katura called for a transparent and speedy prosecution of the suspects, warning against a repeat of past patterns where suspects disappear into the shadows after being taken to Abuja.

“All eyes now are on the government for an open, transparent and accelerated prosecution of the suspects

“This is necessary taking into cognizance the fact that over the years, some arrests of suspects of previous massacres have been made and the suspects taken to Abuja and thereafter, nothing has been heard or said about them.”

“This is a time for unity, not division.Though we may belong to different political parties, our safety, dignity and future as a people must come first.” He emphasized.