News
Wase Community Cries Out Over Banditry, Border Insecurity as Plateau Fact-Finding Committee Continues Assessment
As part of its ongoing engagement across Plateau State, the High-Powered Fact-Finding Committee on Friday, July 25, 2025, visited Wase Local Government Area in the Southern Senatorial Zone to gather firsthand accounts of the challenges fueling insecurity in the region.
The committee, received at the council secretariat by Executive Chairman Hon. Hamisu Mohammed Anani, his deputy, councillors, and senior council officials, was led by its chairman, Major General Nicholas Rogers (Rtd). In his remarks, Rogers noted the significance of visiting Wase on a Friday, aligning with the Muslim congregational prayers, and acknowledged the chairman’s strides in local media innovation.
“This is my fifth visit to Wase. I am not a stranger here,” he said. “We know that the state has faced crises since 2001, and we are here to interact with the people directly, ask questions, and hear suggestions on the way forward. After this engagement, we will also meet with traditional leaders and visit the radio house to spread the message of peace.”
The Wase council chairman, Hon. Hamisu Anani, welcomed the committee and commended Governor Caleb Mutfwang for initiating the fact-finding process. He outlined the security challenges plaguing the LGA, noting that while relative peace had returned to some areas, Bashar District remained a hotspot for banditry due to its vast forests and porous borders with Taraba State.
According to him, Wase is dealing with:
- Land disputes and inter-clan clashes in Kadarko and Tarok areas.
- Boundary conflicts in Lamba District.
- Petty crimes and motorcycle thefts linked to youth restiveness.
- Banditry and cross-border criminal activity in Bashar District, which he described as the most pressing challenge.
“We are trying our best with local efforts and collaboration with neighboring councils like Alkaleri, but we need federal security support,” he said. “We appeal for penetration in the forest regions, as those hiding there are known criminals. We’ve also registered a security outfit—Wase Rock Security Company—to strengthen local response.”
He further highlighted the difficulties of coordinating joint operations between military and DSS operatives stationed in the area, despite the local government providing fuel and feeding support to over 140 DSS personnel.
The committee also held a closed-door session at the Palace of the Acting Recna of Bashar, where traditional council members reiterated their concerns about kidnapping, cattle rustling, and growing insecurity.
“We have done our part at the community level,” the Acting Recna said. “We hope the committee’s report will prompt decisive action from the government to address kidnapping and restore peace.”
Speaking to the press after the palace visit, Maj. Gen. Rogers reaffirmed the committee’s commitment to capturing all perspectives.
“We are listening to both local government officials and traditional rulers,” he said. “From what we’ve gathered, Wase is battling multiple forms of insecurity: banditry, kidnapping, land disputes, and cattle rustling. These will be captured in our report to the governor along with recommendations.”
The committee also visited Wase Rock Broadcasting Network, where it held a live radio session to engage directly with the public and further amplify messages of peace and reconciliation.
“Our mission is to interact with all segments of society—herders, farmers, traditional leaders, and government officials—to understand the root causes of the crisis and propose solutions that will bring lasting peace to Plateau,” Rogers emphasized during the radio broadcast.
The committee is expected to compile its findings and submit a comprehensive report to Governor Caleb Mutfwang in the coming weeks.
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For more than three decades, Nigeria’s Super Falcons were the standard of African women’s football.
Ten Women’s Africa Cup of Nations titles. Every FIFA Women’s World Cup from the beginning of the competition. Generations of players who dominated the continent.
Read Also: 14th Women AFCON: Swart’s heroics foil Super Falcons’ search for World Cup ticket
But that era has now reached a disturbing turning point.
For the first time in the history of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Nigeria will not be at the tournament.
South Africa’s 2–1 victory over the Super Falcons in Casablanca on Thursday ended Nigeria’s final route to the 2027 World Cup.
But perhaps this should not be viewed simply as a failure of the Super Falcons.
Perhaps it is the clearest evidence yet that the rest of Africa has finally caught up.
Look at Malawi.
The Scorchers were appearing at the WAFCON for the first time in 2026. They did not come merely to make up the numbers. They reached the semi-finals and secured Malawi’s historic first-ever Women’s World Cup qualification.
Look at Morocco.
The country has invested heavily in women’s football, and AS FAR has become a continental force, winning the CAF Women’s Champions League in 2025 and earning the right to represent Africa at FIFA’s inaugural Women’s Champions Cup.
Look at South Africa.
Banyana Banyana have transformed themselves from challengers into African champions and have now defeated Nigeria when a World Cup place was on the line.
And across the continent, CAF says women’s football is being strengthened through coaching education, better administration, grassroots development, refereeing and more structured domestic leagues.
This is the part Nigerians must understand.
Africa did not wait for Nigeria to remain dominant.
Other countries started building.
For years, Nigeria had an enormous advantage because many of our best players grew up playing together for long periods, particularly through the domestic system and national-team pathways.
The Super Falcons of previous generations were not simply eleven talented Nigerians assembled for a tournament.
They were products of a football culture that continuously produced players.
Today, that advantage is much smaller.
And there is another uncomfortable reality: Nigerian players are increasingly finding opportunities in women’s leagues outside Nigeria, while African leagues are becoming more organised and competitive.
CAF’s Women’s Champions League has also created a continental platform with meaningful financial rewards; participating clubs received at least $150,000 in the 2024 edition, while the winners received $600,000.
So perhaps the question is no longer:
“Why did the Super Falcons fail?”
The bigger question is:
“Why did Nigeria stop developing faster than the countries chasing us?”
We should support the Falcons.
We should respect the players.
We should recognise their achievements.
But we must also recognise what this moment represents.
Nigeria has won ten WAFCON titles. That history is extraordinary.
But history cannot qualify a team for the next World Cup.
Systems do.
Leagues do.
Academies do.
Coaching structures do.
Investment does.
Player development does.
And if Nigeria does not rebuild those foundations, the Super Falcons’ absence from Brazil may not remain a once-in-history event.
THE SUPER FALCONS HAVE NOT SUDDENLY BECOME A BAD TEAM. AFRICA HAS SIMPLY STOPPED WAITING FOR NIGERIA.
The real alarm is not that Nigeria lost to South Africa.
The real alarm is that the countries Nigeria used to look down on are now building football systems capable of defeating Nigeria when it matters most.
This should not be a blame game.
It should be a wake-up call.
NIGERIA DID NOT LOSE WOMEN’S FOOTBALL IN ONE MATCH. WE MAY HAVE BEEN LOSING THE ADVANTAGE FOR YEARS.
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