Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, as a step towards recovering communities occupied by terrorists in the state, has ordered a census of people living in the area, emphasising the need for proper documentation of residents.

He made this order during a visit to the Tyop community in the Mangu Local Government Area of the state on Saturday.

The governor’s move aims to address the growing security concerns in the state, where 64 communities have been occupied by terrorists.

The governor condemned the arrangement where indigenous populations are chased out of their ancestral homes, calling it a ploy to keep people in poverty.

Mutfwang emphasised the need for law-abiding citizens, stating that the state cannot afford to be lawless.

The governor said, “I want a census of people living in this place (Tyop community ) .When they built their houses, who gave them permission to build their houses? We can not afford to be lawless. Let me make it clear, any district head that allows people to settle within the district without proper documentation of who they are, that district head knows that he will dance to the music that will follow accordingly.

“We will not allow this nonsense to continue. We have to be law abiding. We cannot be lawless. This kind of arrangement where indigenous population are chased out their ancestral homes is an arrangement to keep our people in poverty and we cannot accept it.”

The governor appealed for a peaceful engagement with the occupants and urged security agencies to take charge.

He added, “We want everybody to leave in peace. We welcome people who want land to build houses, but there is a procedure which must be followed.

“You can’t just come from nowhere and start building houses in the middle of nowhere. It is not done anywhere. Worse still, people were chased out of their homes; you take it over and occupy it. This is not right. This is not correct. So, we need to engage these people, and I want us to do it as peacefully as possible because we can’t continue to allow this kind of story to continue to repeat itself.”

Mutfwang, who also visited other communities recently attacked by bandits in the Bokkos Local Government Area, including Hurti, Daho, and other severely affected areas, interacted with the Internally Displaced Persons in the council.

The governor said he was moved by their harrowing conditions, especially those of women and children, and encouraged the displaced residents not to abandon their ancestral lands to strangers and land grabbers.

He emphasised the need for unity, resilience, and vigilance in the face of adversity.

Addressing youths in the affected communities, the governor urged them to resist distractions and channel their energies toward protecting their people and heritage, as they are the future leaders of their areas.


https://punchng.com/mutfwang-orders-census-to-reclaim-terrorist-occupied-plateau-communities/