12 people, 1,199 cattle lost to rustling in Plateau
The Special Task Force (STF) in Plateau State said yesterday that cattle rustlers stole 2,501 cattle and killed 12 people between September 2013 and now, but that it recovered a total of 1,312 cattle, leaving 1,199 cattle still missing.
The STF commander, Maj. Gen. David Enetie, who spoke at a peace dialogue organised by the Plateau State government and a Non Governmental Organization, Search for Common Ground, said the losses were incurred in 42 cases of rustling mainly in Jos South, Riyom, Barkin-Ladi, Langtang and Wase Local Government Areas of the state.
The dialogue, which took place at the Cabinet Office hall of the Joseph Gomwalk Secretariat in Jos, also attracted a presentation from a representative of the Civil Society Organisation, Chris Ogbonna of Dialogue, Reconciliation & Peace Centre, who advised the general public to regard cattle rustlers as criminal elements and not necessarily as Fulani cattle breeders.
In their separate remarks, Governor Jonah Jang’s Special Adviser on Peace Building & Conflict Management, Barrister Baba Parlong, whose office coordinated the dialogue on behalf of the government, as well as the Country Director of Search for Common Ground, Mr Chom Bagu, canvassed unbroken dialogue, saying there is no alternative to dialogue in any society that desires progress.