Revd Dr. Gideon Para-Mallam, President and CEO of the Para-Mallam Peace Foundation, has exposed the heart-wrenching manipulation of a nine-year-old boy, Regard Yusuf, resulting in the massacre in Chirang village, Plateau State, on Christmas Eve.
According to an account provided by a survivor who narrowly escaped the brutal attack, Regard Yusuf was deceived into leading the assailants to the hiding place, ultimately leading to the murder of 23 women, including Regard and his mother.
The Para-Mallam Peace Foundation shared this chilling narrative, shedding light on the false assurances given to the young boy before he and his mother were killed, along with others like Veronica Mallan and her nine-month-old child, Godwin Mallan.
The attacks left severe injuries, with a three-year-old child critically ill at Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) after a close-range shooting, and a five-year-old girl receiving care at JUTH after her hand was brutally severed.
“The attacks have left a trail of severe injuries. A three-year-old child lies critically ill in the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) after being shot at close range, and a five-year-old girl is also receiving care at JUTH after her hand was brutally severed by attackers,” the statement added.
The Foundation strongly condemned the attacks, categorizing them as a deliberate act of genocide rather than a simple conflict between farmers and herders.
It mourned the loss of public figures like Hon. Sabo Abang, kidnapped and later found dead on the same night.
Para-Mallam expressed deepest sympathies to the victims’ families, Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State, and all affected Nigerians.
He criticized the misrepresentation of the violence as a mere clash and called out the Federal Government of Nigeria for its inadequate response.
The statement urged proactive measures over reactive military responses, emphasizing the need for a united stance against terrorism in the Middle-belt region.
Despite a visit by a Presidential Team, violence persisted, questioning the international community’s silence and the lack of strong collective action within Nigeria.
Revd Dr. Para-Mallam appealed for a concerted effort to achieve sustainable peace, stressing that only decisive action, not politicization, can bring true peace and security to the region’s inhabitants.
