Plateau State Governor, Caleb Muftwang, has sounded the alarm over escalating insecurity in the state, disclosing that at least 64 communities have been seized and occupied by bandits.

Speaking during a live interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Governor Muftwang described the situation as dire and called for urgent national attention. He revealed that the attacks, particularly in rural areas, are part of a disturbing trend that has persisted for over a decade.

“These communities that have been recently attacked were part of the communities that were attacked in 2023, but they survived and rebuilt themselves. The Ruwi community, which was first attacked, lost about 17 people in 2023 but bounced back a testament to the people’s resilience,” he said.

According to the governor, within the past week alone, over 50 people were killed and more than 300 houses burned in coordinated attacks on five communities, allegedly by suspected herdsmen.

To address the crisis, the state government, through the Secretary to the State Government, Samuel Jatau, visited the affected areas to assess the devastation and distribute relief materials to victims.

Governor Muftwang lamented the long-standing nature of the violence, suggesting a deliberate attempt to depopulate and take over lands for ulterior motives.

“If these attacks have been going on for close to 10 years, it tells you there is a deliberate, conscious attempt to clean out populations and reopen the areas for different use,” he stated.

He further disclosed that many of the seized communities notably in Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, and Riyom LGAs  have already been renamed and are now being inhabited by the perpetrators.

“As I speak, no fewer than 64 communities on the Plateau have been taken over. These places have been renamed, and people are living there comfortably after forcibly displacing the original inhabitants,” Muftwang added.

While the Federal Government has pledged to end the violence, the governor called for more visible and decisive action, warning that the crisis could spiral further if left unaddressed.