“Plateau Is Not a Killing Field” -By Rinret Istifanus

It is painful to lose a loved one. But it is even more painful when that person is taken away through violence that could have been prevented.

Families are not meant to lose their loved ones in such a manner. Children are not meant to grow up without their parents because armed men attacked their communities. Yet, this has become the painful reality for many families across Plateau State.

Behind every killing is a family left to suffer. Some children have lost one parent, while others have lost both. Some families have lost their homes and everything they worked for in a single attack. But after the news is reported and the victims are buried, who thinks about the people left behind?

Who thinks about the child who now has to survive without a mother or father? Who thinks about the family whose house has been destroyed and now has nowhere to sleep? Who thinks about how they will eat tomorrow?

These are questions the government must answer.

The continuous killings in Plateau are barbaric and unacceptable. Human lives should not be reduced to numbers in news reports. Every person killed leaves behind people who loved them and depended on them.

The government needs to act quickly. Citizens cannot continue to live in fear, waiting for another attack before security agencies respond. Vulnerable communities need stronger security, better intelligence and quicker intervention.

And if the government cannot adequately protect its citizens, then it must support lawful community-based security measures that allow people to defend themselves without encouraging revenge or further violence. People deserve the right to feel safe in their own homes.

Plateau is known as the Home of Peace and Tourism, but many people no longer feel that peace. How can a place be called home when families are constantly afraid of losing their loved ones?

Our land should not be where we keep burying our loved ones over violence that could have been prevented.

The people of Plateau are tired. They are grieving. They are afraid.

Plateau is not a killing field. It is our home. And our people deserve peace..