From Ron Jacob, Jos.
The United States of America on Monday
strongly condemned the cycle of violence and impunity in Plateau State and other parts of the country and called on immediate arrest and prosecution of perpetrators.
Mr David Young, the Charge d’ Affaires United States Embassy in Nigeria made the call during a 3-Day Peace and Security Conference held in Plateau.
He applauded the theme of the conference, “ A resurgence of Violence in Plateau State, Forging a Multi-Stakeholders partnership for Peace and Security,” and called on the law enforcement agencies to be pragmatic in arresting and prosecuting criminal actors behind the evil acts.
Young was particular about the massive killings in the Middle Belt which he described as “callous’’ and “unacceptable.’’
“US has always strongly condemned the cycle of violence and the killings of innocent souls whether in Plateau, Zamfara, Benue, Adamawa and in any part of the country.
“We the people of faith are always submitting ourselves to God, but some people don’t instead they submit themselves to hate as they don’t live by the word of God.
“We must condemn those behind these terrible acts, who must be caught and made to face the full wrath of the law because justice is the first step to end violence.
“As God fearing people, we must break the cycle of impunity that breeds violence and lead to reprisal attack
“The crisis in Nigeria needs a quick response therefore, it is absolutely essential that those arrested be promptly face charges in Court without any delay, ’’ he said.
He noted that the issue of land remains one of the strong reasons for violence in the Middle Belt and other parts of the country
According ot him, until something drastic was done, “the problem will continue to get more intense in years to come because of the rapid growth in population in the country.’’
He stated that in 30 years to come, Nigeria’s population would shoot from 190 million to 400 million and that most of this population would be in the Middle Belt and northern part of the country.
The US Envoy said, “So the challenges over land and resources will not get easier and for children and grand-children the potential for crisis will even be greater. Therefore, we must focus on this for the long term good of Plateau State and entire Nigeria.”
Young, however, called on Nigeria’s leaders to seek for peace and help prevent reprisal attacks, adding that in all these the words and actions of those in leadership positions matter.
In his remark, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State said that his administration was committed to implementing the White Paper from the Berom and Fulani peace Committee.
“This administration believes that the implementation of that paper will be a panacea for building inclusive peace, based on the useful recommendations therein, ’’ Lalong said.