The Berom Youth Moulders-Association (BYM) has dismissed as false and unverified a report alleging that a person killed during the recent attack near the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) was a Berom militia member.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Rwang Tengwong, the association described the publication by Zagazola Makama as reckless, misleading and capable of inflaming ethnic tensions, insisting that there is no militia group belonging to the Berom people.
BYM argued that if the Berom people had an armed militia as alleged, their communities would not have continued to suffer repeated attacks, killings, destruction of farmlands and displacement by armed Fulani terrorists across Plateau State.
The association questioned the basis for identifying the deceased as Berom, asking whether any forensic investigation, DNA analysis or family identification was conducted before such a conclusion was made.
“We challenge the publisher to publicly provide the identity of the deceased, including his name, family and community, so that the public and independent observers can verify the claim. Anything short of this amounts to deliberate misinformation capable of inflaming tensions and undermining ongoing security efforts,” the statement said.
BYM further disclosed that after the incident, the leadership of Operation Enduring Peace reportedly contacted Berom community leaders in Kuru to help identify the deceased, but the community confirmed that the corpse was not known to any Berom family in the area.
The association noted that Kuru is a cosmopolitan community with several ethnic groups, including Fulani residents, adding that many indigenous communities have also been displaced over the years, making it irresponsible to attribute the deceased’s identity to one ethnic group without evidence.
“If the information truly originated from military sources, then serious questions must be asked as to how an individual killed at the scene of a crime could immediately be assigned an ethnic identity without forensic examination or DNA confirmation,” BYM stated.
The association called on the Defence Headquarters to invite the publisher to substantiate the claims, maintaining that if such intelligence is genuine, it should assist security agencies in tracking those responsible for attacks in the Kuru-Vom axis.
Reaffirming its commitment to peace and cooperation with security agencies, BYM urged journalists and security institutions to verify sensitive information before publication, warning that it would continue to resist any attempt to profile or criminalise the Berom people through unverified reports.
