The Plateau Patriotic Front (PPF), a socio-political advocacy group, has called for the arrest and investigation of Bello Gotomo, National Secretary of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), following his controversial remarks on the recent killings in Plateau State.
Gotomo, while speaking to journalists after MACBAN’s National Executive Council meeting in Abuja—as widely reported by national media—declared that attacks on Plateau communities would persist due to what he termed ongoing injustices against herders in the state.
In a swift response, the PPF described the statement as “an open admission of complicity” in the violence that has claimed thousands of lives across Plateau’s rural communities over the years.
“Mr. Gotomo’s comments are not only reckless and inflammatory but amount to an open confession. He has taken responsibility on behalf of his members for the bloodshed in Plateau State,” the group said in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Mani Imman.
“We therefore call on the security agencies to immediately arrest and investigate him. No individual or group should be allowed to make such dangerous utterances without consequences.”
Gotomo was quoted as saying: “Whenever our people are killed or their cows rustled, and nothing is done by the authorities, they are compelled to seek justice in their own way by attacking the communities where the wrongs were committed.”
The PPF argued that such a statement, coming from a top official of a national association, is deeply provocative and could incite further violence.
“This is not only insensitive but dangerous. Such utterances have the potential to embolden perpetrators and escalate communal tensions. Mr. Gotomo should be invited by security agencies to identify the crises he referenced and explain the rationale behind such a grave justification for violence.”
The group urged relevant authorities—especially security agencies, government institutions, and peace stakeholders—to take coordinated action in addressing the root causes of the conflict while ensuring accountability for those who incite or justify acts of terror.
“We need urgent, coordinated efforts to stem the tide of bloodshed and hold those who glorify or promote violence accountable. The victims deserve justice, and Plateau deserves peace,” the PPF concluded.
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