Fulani elders in Barikin Ladi of Plateau State have called for calm following the killing of a Fulani youth by unidentified attackers, describing the incident as a deliberate act intended to provoke retaliation and disrupt the fragile peace in the area.
The elders made the appeal on Saturday while reacting to the incident, which they said occurred at night without provocation, despite ongoing peace engagements between herders, farmers and other ethnic groups in the locality.
They noted that the area had recently witnessed relative peace due to sustained efforts by security agencies, particularly Army troops of Operation Enduring Peace, whose commander has been engaging communities through dialogue and confidence-building meetings.
According to them, the attack appeared calculated to trigger reprisal violence and undermine reconciliation gains.
“We believe this act was done deliberately to provoke us so that we will react, but we want the world to know that we are peace-loving people and we will not be provoked,” a community leader said.
The elders expressed concern that such incidents could reverse progress made in restoring trust among communities, stressing that restraint was necessary to prevent escalation.
They commended security agencies for their recent interventions, citing the recovery and return of rustled cattle to owners as evidence of improved response and cooperation between authorities and residents.
While acknowledging those efforts, they urged the state government and security agencies to intensify surveillance, intelligence gathering and patrols to forestall further attacks and bring perpetrators to justice.
The elders also appealed for broader international attention, including from the United States of America, toward supporting peace and stability initiatives in the region.
They stressed that ending cycles of violence required swift action against criminal elements and sustained engagement with all communities.
“We call on the government to rise to the occasion and stop these senseless killings,” they added.
