Berom, Fulani make claim on Plateau settlement
The Berom Educational and Cultural Organization (BECO) has stated claim to Mahanga, a Fulani settlement in Riyom local government area of Plateau state stressing that the Berom were the true occupants of the community before they were sacked by the Fulani in 2001.
Reacting to a feature published in Daily Trust titled, Mahanga: Inside Plateau’s most ‘Popular’ Fulani Settlement, published on 30th July, 2017 which quoted the Ardo of Riyom, Muhammadu Adamu who lives in Mahanga as tracing the historical background of the community to one Ardo Maccido 500 years ago, BECO in a letter of complaint signed by Sam Gordon, Chairman, Media and Publicity Committee, stated, “The name Mahanga is a very recent creation by the Fulani after the 2001 crisis where natives of the area were sacked from their ancestral lands. In our view, the name Mahanga is not only strange but offensive and should be viewed as part of the antics of invaders who change place names without any authorization of either the natives or government. The truth is that the name of the place is Rankum and it should be respected as such.”
It explained that the Fulani had found Berom natives in the area and had historically paid all their taxes through their Ardos who in turn made returns to the Berom Village and District Heads.
While expressing regrets that their ancestors had accommodated the Fulani when they first visited the area, the Berom stated in their letter that all lands being occupied and cultivated by the Fulani in the area belonged to them.
“There is no piece of land in any Berom district that does not belong to a family, and or under a Chief (Gwom). Our fathers probably should not have allowed them to start staying for longer periods and adopting the hillsides as no man’s land,” they stated.
Reacting to the allegations, State Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Muhammad Nuru Abdullahi who spoke on behalf of the Ardo of Riyom said the allegations were baseless as the Fulani had documents to show that they had lived in the area prior to 2001.
Abdullahi said on phone, “The Berom claimed our people paid taxes to their district heads but we all know that the Berom only started having district heads in 1983. We on the other hand are talking about our existence in Mahanga since precolonial times and we have documents to back our claims.”