The Berom Diaspora Coalition (BDC), in collaboration with key socio-cultural groups including BECO, BYM, BEC and BEWDA, has issued a strong call for immediate and decisive action to reclaim ancestral lands and facilitate the safe return of displaced communities across Plateau State.

The demand was made during a press conference held in Jos on Tuesday, themed “Reclaiming Our Lost Ancestral Lands and Resettlement of Our People.” The coalition expressed deep concern over what it described as a worsening wave of violence, killings, and forced displacement affecting Berom communities and other ethnic groups in Plateau and the wider Middle Belt region.

Delivering the coalition’s position, BDC representative, Rwas Barnabas Dazih, said the situation had reached an alarming level. According to him, more than 500 people have been killed between November 2025 and April 2026, with many others injured, and properties worth millions of naira destroyed.

The coalition highlighted that the attacks have spread across several local government areas, including Barkin Ladi, Riyom, Jos South, Bokkos, and Bassa, leaving residents in constant fear and uncertainty.

They further alleged that the violence has extended into urban areas, citing the March 29 Easter attack in Angwan Rukuba, Jos North, which reportedly claimed about 30 lives. The coalition described the incident as a clear sign of escalating insecurity reaching the heart of Jos.

According to the group, over 70 Berom villages have been displaced, with some communities allegedly taken over by armed groups. This, they said, has deepened the humanitarian crisis, leading to a sharp rise in the number of widows, orphans, and internally displaced persons.

Describing the situation as “a new and more devastating phase of violence,” the coalition warned that communities are increasingly vulnerable, with many families left homeless and without livelihoods.

The group also criticized security agencies, accusing them of failing to act on intelligence and prevent attacks, while allegedly arresting local residents who attempted to defend themselves during invasions. They demanded the immediate and unconditional release of such individuals.

Beyond security concerns, the coalition urged government authorities at all levels to move beyond rhetoric and take concrete steps to restore displaced persons to their homes. They stressed that many victims continue to live in difficult conditions while their ancestral lands remain occupied.

The coalition also made a direct appeal to the international community and human rights organizations to intervene urgently, calling for global attention to what they described as ongoing violence and displacement.

They further called on Plateau citizens to remain united in the face of insecurity, while renewing demands for stronger and more effective security measures, including the establishment of state police.

Several speakers at the event shared personal accounts and reinforced the coalition’s demands:

Hon. Stephen Choji Kim of Kassa in Barkin Ladi narrated the heartbreaking loss of his elder brother, who was kidnapped and later found dead despite the payment of ransom. He said attempts to seek help from security agencies did not yield timely intervention. He also recounted the killing of another family member, emphasizing the painful reality faced by many households.

Mr. Chollom Gyang, Secretary General of BECO, lamented the persistent cycle of violence in Plateau State, recalling past crises in Jos and surrounding areas. He questioned the effectiveness of security responses over the years and called for genuine commitment to ending the recurring bloodshed. He warned that insecurity is no longer limited to Plateau, as similar attacks are spreading across other parts of the country.

Also speaking, Barr. Solomon Mwantiri, President of BYM, decried the continued killings and displacement of communities, stressing that residents have endured repeated attacks with little protection. He called for justice, accountability, and urgent government intervention to restore peace and normalcy.

The coalition concluded by emphasizing that communities are tired of repeated losses and ongoing suffering, and are demanding immediate action to secure lives, reclaim lands, and ensure a future free from fear.

A group under the auspices of the Berom Diaspora Coalition, BDC, has called on the Nigerian government to declare the Mahanga in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State a terrorist enclave, describing the community as a major stronghold for armed Fulani bandits and terrorists where they come out from to attack villages and retreat to at the end of each attack.

The BDC, in conjunction with other groups like the Berom Educational and Cultural Organization, BECO, Berom Youth-Moulders Association, BYM, the Berom Women Development Association, BEWDA, among others, made the call during a press conference in Jos on Tuesday.

They also urged the government and other relevant authorities to take urgent actions to reclaim displaced ancestral lands and resettle affected communities in the state.

While addressing the press conference with the theme: “Reclaiming Our Lost Ancestral Lands and Resettlement of Our People,” Barry Barnabas Dazih, who represented the BDC, called on the federal and state governments, as well as security agencies to urgently halt violence and killings in the state and do everything possible to reclaim ancestral lands currently being occupied by terrorists after chasing the indigenes away.

Dazih noted with dismay that available records have shown that more than 500 people have been killed between November 2025 and April 2026, with many others injured, displaced, or rendered homeless.

According to the BDC representative, entire communities across Barkin Ladi, Riyom, Jos South, Bokkos, Bassa, and even Jos North Local Government Areas have come under sustained attacks, with a specific reference to the March 29 incident in Angwan Rukuba, which claimed about 30 lives, citing it as evidence that violence has now reached the heart of the state capital.

The coalition alleged that armed Fulani militant elements are carrying out the attacks, describing the pattern of violence as coordinated and persistent.

“From records at our disposal, over 70 Berom villages have been displaced, with some allegedly occupied by the attackers, thereby deepening the humanitarian crisis and increasing the number of widows, orphans, and vulnerable persons,” Dazih said.

Beyond the loss of lives, the coalition lamented widespread destruction of farmlands which it said “is the economic backbone of the affected communities, as well as restricted access to mining sites, accusing the attackers of deliberately targeting livelihoods, thereby compounding poverty and displacement.

“Between November 2025 and April 2026, over 500 people have been brutally killed, some maimed, while houses and farmlands worth millions of naira were destroyed without provocation.”

Describing the attacks as a script from a horror movie, Dazih said innocent residents in the affected communities now live in fear, not knowing where the next attack will come from as Plateau State is currently witnessing a renewed spike in violent attacks and destruction of lives and property.

While lamenting the delay in resettling displaced persons, the group called on the government to mandate committees set up to facilitate the return of internally displaced persons, thereby expediting actions to produce meaningful results.

The coalition further raised concerns over what it described as the failure of security agencies to act on credible intelligence provided by locals.