By Muhammad Tanko
Muslim leaders and Hausa-Fulani community representatives in Plateau State have expressed strong concerns over the Plateau State Government’s recent call for the withdrawal of the military from peacekeeping operations in the state.
In a joint statement issued by Elder Sani Mudi, a former Special Adviser to the state government, and Barrister Lawal Ishaq, a senior lawyer based in Jos, the leaders warned that the move could expose vulnerable communities to renewed violence.
They described the call as “mischievous” and alleged it formed part of a broader agenda to displace Hausa and Fulani residents, whom some groups still view as “unwanted settlers.”
“The call for the removal of soldiers is a grand design to give room for sinister plots aimed at ridding Plateau of the presence of Hausas and Fulanis,” the statement read.
The leaders recalled the 2008 post-election crisis, alleging that assailants wearing mobile police uniforms killed hundreds of innocent Muslims in Jos.
In a related development, the Plateau State Muslim Indigenes Forum accused the state government of selective empathy in its response to security crises.
In a statement signed by its secretary, Alhaji Kabiru Gwamlar, the group criticized Governor Caleb Mutfwang for not visiting or commiserating with victims in Wase and Kanam local government areas, where over 70 vigilantes were reportedly killed and several villages razed.
“Despite the scale of the attacks, the governor has neither visited nor offered condolences. This neglect reinforces perceptions of selective justice,” the statement said.
The group called on civil society organisations and the media to amplify the voices of communities they say are often ignored in the public discourse.
“We remain committed to peaceful coexistence, but our communities deserve justice, empathy, and protection,” the statement concluded.
