PLATEAU COMMUNITY DECRIES RAPE OF RESIDENT - INDISCRIMINATE GRAZING BY HERDSMEN

Residents of Bokkos town in Plateau State have raised the
alarm over rising cases of rape, indiscriminate grazing and
intimidation by suspected herdsmen.

Over the past three months, indiscriminate grazing in
residential areas has particularly been on the increase with
no visible security intervention, a community leader in
Bokkos, Mangai said.
Despite efforts made by various groups and individuals to
curtail the excesses of the herders, there has been very little
success, a member of the Run Muruwi Vanguard, a native
interest group who chose to be anonymous said.
Corroborating this position, a former president of the Youths
in Bokkos, Samuel Agandu said, “Often times, when the
herders are cautioned, they pull out arms to fight.”
According to the Secretary of the Bokkos Progressive Youth
Forum, Mabur Tokshik, “The situation is not new as there
have been several reports of such excesses but none has
been tangible.

“We only hear them as rumours and no one has officially
reported such,” he said.
Police authorities have equally denied receiving official
reports of such, just as a Fulani leader, Ardo Shagari
Abdullahi has said there has never been a complaint against
the Fulani as such.
The Bokkos Divisional Police headquarters has,
however,confirmed the killing of a young man by suspected
herdsmen last week Sunday near Government Secondary
School Kopyal.

The murder followed the alleged raping of an 18 year old girl
by two suspected herdsmen in a farm near Bokkos town.
Police could not, however,confirm the rape incident when
contacted.
The Secretary of the Bokkos Progressive Youth Movement
however said there were several unofficial reports of rape in
Bokkos but could not attribute them to any group or
individual.
He disclosed that findings from his office reveal that on the
latest incident, there was no penetration as the victim was
immediately rescued after she screamed while struggling
with the culprits, alerting nearby farmers.
Former President of the Bokkos Youths, Mr. Agandu
however joined Lt. Gen. Theophilus Danjuma to call for self-
defense among communities.

“Even the securities these days are hands-tight and can
hardly function as expected due to superior interests,” he
said.
Bokkos LGA has been in the news of late following series of
attacks by suspected herdsmen, leading to the sack of nine
villages.
Recently, over 30 people are said to have been killed, while
over 7000 others displaced from their homes and more than
1000 houses destroyed as a result of alleged attacks by
herdsmen in Daffo District of the aforementioned LGA.