By Asile Abel, Jos
The Berom people, under the aegis of the Berom Diaspora Coalition (BDC), in conjunction with the Berom Educational and Cultural Organization (BECO), Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM), Berom Women Development Association (BEWDA), and Berom Elders Council (BEC), have raised a fresh alarm over what they described as the “prolonged genocide and systematic land grabbing” against the Berom ethnic group and other indigenous communities in Plateau State and the Middle Belt region.
Addressing the media through their Spokesman and Representative Barry Dazhi, the Berom Diaspora Coalition across North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa lamented that the killings, which began over two decades ago, have continued unabated with little or no government intervention.
The Berom Diaspora said this was convened “with heavy hearts and a deep sense of responsibility” to draw national and international attention to the unending wave of killings and displacement of innocent citizens by armed assailants identified as Fulani militants.
“For over twenty years, our people in Fan District of Barkin Ladi, Riyom, Jos South, and neighbouring areas have come under sustained attacks, with homes burnt, farmlands destroyed, and thousands of lives lost. From available data, over 10,000 Berom people have been killed, 151 communities displaced, and vast lands forcefully occupied by Fulani bandits,” the group stated.
The coalition accused successive governments of turning a blind eye to the situation despite repeated calls for intervention, describing the silence as “complicity and failure of leadership.”
“A government that pampers killers and punishes victims is not a government but an accomplice. Nigeria cannot claim to be one nation under law if terrorists are allowed to massacre indigenous people without consequence.”
The coalition further expressed concern over alleged threats to the lives of three prominent Berom activists: Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo of the COCIN Church in Gwol, journalist and media advocate Masara Kim, and human rights lawyer Barr. Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri.
According to the group, credible intelligence reports indicate that a network of Fulani bandits from Nasarawa State had infiltrated Plateau with plans to abduct or assassinate the activists due to their vocal campaigns against terrorism and injustice.
BDC warned that the threats were part of a broader pattern of intimidation aimed at silencing voices exposing the ongoing atrocities.
The coalition cited intelligence reports suggesting renewed infiltration and the establishment of armed camps in several parts of Plateau State, including Riyom, Barkin Ladi, Jos South, and Bokkos Local Government Areas. It listed several locations allegedly renamed and occupied by the attackers, urging security agencies to urgently intervene and dismantle the enclaves.
BDC outlined several key demands, calling on the Federal Government, National Assembly, and the international community to act decisively by officially designating Fulani militants as terrorists and launching military operations to reclaim all forcefully occupied lands.
The group also demanded the immediate release of the N10 billion earlier pledged for victims’ rehabilitation, prosecution of perpetrators and sponsors of attacks, and implementation of long-term peace and security mechanisms, including community-based policing and respect for ancestral land rights.
While urging intervention by the United Nations, African Union, and ECOWAS to support peacebuilding efforts in Plateau State and demand justice now for the dead, the displaced, and generations yet unborn.
The Berom leaders stressed that their struggle is not against any ethnic or religious group but a collective call for justice, equality, and survival.
“This is not just a Berom plight; it affects all indigenous communities in the Middle Belt and beyond: Tiv, Idoma, Ron, Mwaghavul, Irigwe, and Southern Kaduna. If anyone is killed, we must all speak up. When truth becomes tribal and justice becomes selective, what remains is not a country—it’s a graveyard with a flag.”
They condemned what they termed the “complacency of Nigerian leadership,” accusing politicians of focusing on the 2027 elections rather than addressing the humanitarian crisis.
The coalition, however, reaffirmed the Berom people’s commitment to peace and lawful self-defence, urging global partners to act before the situation deteriorates further.
“The Berom people have always been peaceful and resilient. We will continue to pursue peace through lawful and dignified means, but peace without justice cannot stand. The world must not remain silent.”
