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PLATEAU TERROR: Bandits Molest women- BYM President cries out
National President of the Berom Youths Moulders Association (BYM), Barrister Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, has accused Fulani militants of raping and sexually assaulting women and girls on their farms after taking over villages in Barkin Ladi and Riyom Local Government Areas of Plateau State.
Mwantiri, who raised the alarm in a video recording while assessing some communities that were attacked and sacked by the bandits, lamented that after taking over the lands, the attackers have resorted to molesting the women.
The youth president decried that the invaders are not satisfied with killing the people and taking over their ancestral lands but now derive pleasure in humiliating the women by raping them and killing those who dare to resist.
Speaking in the video footage, Mwantiri said:
“I am Barrister Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, the National President of the Berom Youths Moulders Association (BYM). We are here in Gassa, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, Plateau State.
“We are in the interior bush where over 60 farmlands that were ready for harvest in one or two weeks were mischievously and wilfully grazed upon and destroyed.
“As you can see, the farmers are here lamenting and crying out because of the hunger that has now set in. This is their only means of livelihood.
“Now that their farms and crops have been destroyed, they have no option but to become beggars in their own land. It is not that these farms were moved from where they were cultivated to the Fulani cows, but the Fulani herders brought their cows into the farms to graze and destroy the crops that were ready for harvest.
“There are uncultivated lands where they could have grazed peacefully, but they decided to graze on people’s farms just to destroy their crops and throw them into hunger.
“All we are crying out for now is justice. We want justice for these victims who have not done anything to warrant this wickedness from the Fulani people. It is not that they took their farms and cultivated them in Fulani settlements.
“The Fulani moved all the way from Fass, which is about three kilometers, to Gassa to graze and destroy people’s farms. Even the attacks they carry out have always been perpetrated from that end.
“We are calling on the government to declare that place a terrorist enclave so that the people can breathe and sleep with their two eyes closed. We know they will still come back and destroy the remaining farmlands.
“You can imagine the destruction they carried out in broad daylight, what will happen at night can only be imagined.
“Just a few weeks ago, they destroyed over 300 farms in Riyom. We see this as an economic war they are waging against our people. Apart from destroying the farmlands, the Fulani herders are killing our people, raping our women, defiling our children, and sacking our communities. Any woman who tries to resist them is either killed or maimed.
“So it is a holistic battle that these people have already planned and are implementing. Here, there is wilful grazing, while in other places, it is wilful mowing down of farm crops, where they come with machetes and cut down the crops.
“In this 2025, we have had not less than 4,000 farmlands destroyed by the Fulani people, and I mean completely destroyed, running into thousands of hectares of farmland.
“This is just in Gassa alone. We are not even talking about the ones in Rahos, Faan, Heipang, and other places. What this means is that all these communities have been earmarked for attacks, to weaken them economically and subject them to avoidable hunger.”
Breaking News
Ogun State Government Announces Pension, Gratuity Backlog Clearance Between 2012 and 2020
The Ogun State Government has announced the clearance of pension and gratuity arrears owed to workers who retired between 2012 and 2020, reaffirming its commitment to the welfare of retirees.
The Economic Adviser and Commissioner for Finance, Dapo Okubadejo, disclosed this on Tuesday during a media parley organised by the Ogun State Ministry of Budget and Planning.
Okubadejo explained that the backlog was linked to the Defined Benefits Scheme, under which retirees receive monthly pension payments, stressing that the present administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun has not defaulted on pension obligations since assuming office.
“Since the inception of this administration, we have not missed a single month of pension payment. What we inherited were arrears tied to the Defined Benefits Scheme,” he said.
According to him, annual pension payments rose from ₦6.7 billion in 2019 to ₦20 billion in 2025, with projections showing a possible increase to ₦40 billion by 2029.
He disclosed that the state had so far paid ₦23.3 billion in gratuities covering retirees from 2012 to 2020, alongside ₦32.8 billion in outstanding gratuities for local government retirees inherited by the administration.
Okubadejo added that between 2019 and July 2, 2025, the state disbursed ₦93.26 billion in pensions under the Defined Benefits Scheme and ₦94.78 billion to local government pensioners.
He assured that the remaining backlog would be cleared as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) continues to improve, noting that over 300 workers who retired in July 2025 are currently receiving six-month palliatives pending the completion of their pension documentation.
The commissioner also described the newly approved Additional Pension Benefits (APB) as the first of its kind in Nigeria, adding that amendments to the state’s pension law would be pursued to formally integrate the scheme.
On the state’s fiscal outlook, Okubadejo revealed that the 2026 budget increased from ₦1.054 trillion in 2025 to ₦1.668 trillion, while Ogun’s economy expanded from ₦3.5 trillion in 2019 to ₦18.96 trillion in 2026.
He added that IGR grew from ₦50 billion in 2019 to ₦240 billion in 2025, with projections of ₦512 billion this year.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Olaolu Olabimtan, said the 2026 budget reflects strong fiscal reforms, noting an 85 per cent budget execution rate in 2024 and sustained financial stability.
Other commissioners highlighted sectoral achievements, including massive road construction, increased healthcare funding, rail extension plans, education support programmes, and expanded housing projects across the state.
African Democratic Congress, ADC, chieftain, Peter Obi, has urged Nigerians to focus on the country’s future and vote for a change in leadership.
Obi spoke at a meeting with Hausa/Fulani chiefs in Abuja on Wednesday.
“We have to talk about the future of our country. All of you know what is happening to our country today. That’s why we are campaigning that you vote out this government,” he said.
He described the situation in Nigeria as dire, citing insecurity, hunger and hardship.
“today we have insecurity across Nigeria. We have hunger across Nigeria. We are suffering across Nigeria. The only thing that is working in Nigeria today is bad news. Every morning you wake up is bad news,” Obi stated.
The former Labour Party presidential candidate said a new administration would prioritize social services.
“We’re urging you to vote for a change and bring a new Nigeria, where our children will be in school. Our hospitals will work,” he added.
Obi also questioned government spending priorities, particularly in the health sector.
“today, if you’re sick in Nigeria you’re praying to Almighty God because we’re now in a country where our president spends 360 billion to buy and refit his plane and spends 36 million in capital vote for the Ministry of Health. There’s nothing working,” he said.
He appealed to Nigerians to use their votes to usher in what he described as a “new Nigeria” focused on improving citizens’ welfare and restoring key public services.
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