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Plateau Fact-Finding Committee Calls for Dialogue Between Conflicting Communities in Riyom
Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, received the Plateau State High-Powered Fact-Finding Committee, constituted by Governor Caleb Mutfwang to investigate the root causes of the persistent violent conflicts that have plagued parts of the state since 2001.
Led by retired Major General Nicholas Rogas, the committee conducted an on-the-ground assessment of recently attacked communities including Tanjol, Wereng-camp, and Rim, while also engaging in a town hall meeting with key stakeholders in the area.
During the visit, Executive Chairman of Riyom LGA, Hon. Sati Bature Shuwa, decried the continuous loss of lives and destruction of property. He stressed the need for deliberate and coordinated peace efforts.
“For over 25 years, the people of Riyom have endured recurring violence. A month ago, Wereng-camp was attacked by suspected Fulani herders; nine people were killed and over 33 houses were burned. We can’t achieve peace alone. Our country has great potential, but we fail when the values of our constitution are ignored. In the past, Berom and Fulani people lived as friends—today, that coexistence is strained. This committee’s presence symbolizes a step toward ending the senseless killings,” he said.
Shuwa noted that previous attempts at dialogue between the conflicting parties have yielded little results, with tensions appearing to escalate instead.
Ezekiel Dalyop, the village head (Mai Anguwa) of Wereng-camp, described the May 14 attack as unprovoked.
“We were caught unaware by gunshots. People ran in panic. Nine were killed, homes were burned. We later found a phone allegedly belonging to one of the attackers. When we called a contact on it, a Fulani person answered and insulted us. We still don’t know what we did to deserve this,” he recounted.
Wereng-camp village head
Youth leader of the Berom Moulders Association, Solomon Dalyop, highlighted land grabbing, night grazing, and the destruction of farmlands as major causes of unrest.
“In Riyom and Barkin Ladi, 103 out of 153 Berom communities have been taken over and renamed. Here in Tanjol 17 villages has been reduced to 6, Rankum is now called Mahanga, Fass is now Tafawa, and Dakar is now Logere, among others” he explained.
He added, “On June 8, our community was attacked for over five hours. Without the intervention of security forces, more lives would have been lost. These lands once served as grass reserves for roofing and agriculture; now, natives are too afraid to go near them.”
In response, the committee chairman advised community members not to resort to self-help. “We understand the terrain is difficult, but youths can organize vigilante groups to work with security agencies—not to take the law into their hands but to support official response efforts,” said General Rogas.
He added that the committee’s mandate is to gather firsthand information, understand the dynamics of the conflict, and make informed recommendations to the state government. “There is clearly a breakdown in confidence between the communities. We have seen patterns of mistrust, poor security access, and competing narratives. What is needed is dialogue and genuine commitment from both sides.”
During a visit to Chewelnyap hamlet in Rim community, the committee received distressing news of an attack the previous day which claimed the life of a police officer.
Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Riyom, SP David Tsado, explained that Fulani herders had been reported trespassing near homes. When officers were deployed to assess the situation, they were ambushed.
“Officer Yakubu Dauda was killed. Today, in our attempt to retrieve his rifle, we encountered heavy gunfire from over 50 armed men on motorcycles. We had to retreat due to being outnumbered,” Tsado reported.
The committee later convened a town hall meeting at the palace of His Royal Highness Da Samuel Joke, Gwom Rwey Riyom, with royal fathers, youth leaders, security agencies, and other stakeholders present.
Community representatives reiterated the challenges of land grabbing, insecurity, and what they described as biased handling of conflict by some security agents.
“When cows invade farms, no one is held accountable. We can’t even sleep on our farms for safety—our son was killed for doing so,” one speaker lamented.
Zang Kefas, Chairman of the Plateau Youth Council in Riyom, added: “Over 80 communities are displaced, living in IDP camps. For 25 years, we’ve been told to remain patient. How much longer must we wait? Even the killing of cows is being blamed on us—yet evidence suggests otherwise.”
The committee also held a separate meeting with Fulani leaders at a neutral location in Bukoro, highlighting the level of mistrust and separation between the groups. The Fulani leaders listed grievances such as:
- Killing and maiming of their children and relatives
- Seizure or killing of their cows
- Denial of access to forest areas for grazing
- Unfair generalizations of Fulani people as perpetrators of violence
They, however, expressed their openness to dialogue and a willingness to cooperate with both the community and government to ensure justice and lasting peace.
To foster reconciliation, the committee announced plans to organize a joint peace dialogue with both Berom and Fulani representatives present to find sustainable solutions to the ongoing crisis.
Fidelity Bank Plc has appointed Jonathan Ososuakpor as a Non-Executive Director of the bank, taking effect from 22 May.
The bank disclosed the appointment in a statement posted on NGX Group and signed by the Fidelity Bank’s secretary, Ezinwa Unuigboje, on Monday, noting that Mr Ososuakpor can achieve the bank’s strategic objectives.
According to the statement, the appointment has been approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria, while the Securities and Exchange Commission, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria have also been notified about the appointment.
“The Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Jonathan Oniovosa Ososuakpor as a Non-Executive Director of Fidelity Bank Plc with effect from May 22, 2026.
“The appointment has been approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria, and notice of the same has been communicated to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria.
“The Board is pleased with the appointment and looks forward to working closely with Dr. Jonathan Oniovosa Ososuakpor to achieve the Bank’s strategic objectives,” the bank stated.
The bank said Mr Ososuakpor brings impressive cross-functional experience to the Board.
Profile
Mr Ososuakpor joins the Board of Fidelity Bank Plc with over 40 years of experience in the financial services industry, including Credit and Marketing; Retail; Consumer and Commercial Banking; Public Sector; Banking Operations; and Risk Management.
He enjoyed an illustrious banking career, which commenced in 1983 with Union Bank of Nigeria Plc and served in various capacities at notable financial institutions, including former Gateway Bank, Oceanic Bank, Ecobank Nigeria Plc, and Access Bank Plc.
Mr Ososuakpor held key leadership and management positions before he was appointed Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of AMJU Unique Microfinance Bank Limited in 2012, a position he held until he retired from the bank in July 2025.
He was Chairman of Universal Finance Consult & Investment Limited from 2007 to 2017, and V-Capital Consulting Limited from 2015 to 2025.
He currently chairs the Board of Directors of Top Rank Oil Services Limited, a leading multifunctional engineering company providing diverse services to the nation’s Oil and Gas industry, Public and Private Sectors.
Mr Ososuakpor holds a Bachelor’s degree in Banking and Finance, and Masters Degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Benin. He also has both a Master of Science and a Doctorate Degree in Economics from Delta State University, Nigeria, and a Master of Business Administration (Finance) Degree from Bangor University, Wales, UK.
His professional qualifications include Fellowship of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria; Institute of Credit Administration; Institute of Chartered Economists of Nigeria, and Association of Enterprise Risk Management Professionals.
He is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria; Member of the Nigeria Economic Society, and Chartered Banker Institute, Wales, UK.
READ ALSO: Fidelity Banks first quarter revenue up by 38%
The new non-executive director is also a Certified Expert in Risk Management and a key resource person at local and international training. His areas of interest include Risk Management, Data Analytics, Monetary, Macro, and Microeconomics, Financial Inclusion, and Corporate Governance.
He has attended leadership and executive development programmes at world-class institutions, including the London Business School and United Nations Institute for Training and Research.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released $3.9 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies and is establishing a continental Incident Management Support Team with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to scale up response efforts to the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, disclosed this on Monday during an Africa CDC ministerial briefing, saying the national risk level in DRC had been raised to “very high” due to rapid transmission and the absence of vaccines or therapeutics for the rare Bundibugyo strain.
Mr Ghebreyesus said WHO made the decision last Friday following fresh assessments showing increasing transmission risks.
The WHO chief said the organisation was finalising a multi-agency Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan aligned with national response plans for DRC and Uganda, while expanding contact tracing, treatment centres, laboratory capacity and community engagement.
“So far, 101 cases have been confirmed in DRC with 10 confirmed deaths. In Uganda, five cases and one death have been confirmed, linked to cross-border movement,” he said.
According to him, WHO assesses regional risk as high and global risk as low, but warned bordering countries face high risk and should act immediately, according to the latest WHO update report.
He noted that the response had been complicated by insecurity in Ituri and North Kivu provinces, where fighting has displaced more than 100,000 people in recent months, worsening an already fragile humanitarian situation.
The WHO boss said that two security incidents at health facilities were reported in the past week, and distrust of outside authorities was hampering community-based interventions, according to the WHO field reports update.
He said building trust in affected communities was now one of the WHO’s highest priorities to improve outbreak response effectiveness and community engagement across affected regions in DRC and Uganda, which is urgently required.
“To address lack of countermeasures, WHO convened interim Medical Countermeasures Network last week and recommended prioritising two monoclonal antibodies for clinical trials,” he said according to WHO emergency response update report.
“The agency is also developing a trial for the antiviral obeldesivir as post-exposure prophylaxis for high-risk contacts in partnership with Africa CDC and the Collaborative Open Research Consortium on filovirus research.
“Discussions are underway with partners on candidate vaccines in the pipeline,” he said.
He said the evaluation of vaccine candidates and strengthening regional preparedness against Ebola outbreaks in DRC and Uganda was currently ongoing
Mr Ghebreyesus said he would travel to the DRC on 26 May with Chikwe Ihekweazu, executive director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, to directly review ongoing response operations.
He also thanked President Yoweri Museveni for cancelling Uganda’s Martyrs’ Day commemoration, which attracted up to two million people, as a preventive measure against further spread of the outbreak.
“We are facing an extremely serious and difficult outbreak. It will get worse before it gets better.
READ ALSO: Ebola: UNICEF raises concern over impact on children in DRC, Uganda
“But we know this virus, and we know how to stop it. With unity under the leadership of the governments of DRC and Uganda, and in close partnership with Africa CDC and all partners, we will stop this outbreak.”
According to him, WHO credited the governments of the DRC and Uganda for leading the response and said it remained fully committed to supporting them.
He urged neighbouring countries to strengthen surveillance, infection prevention and control, and readiness at points of entry to contain further spread.
(NAN)
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