Emissary meets Irigwe, Miyetti Allah leaders, secures breakthrough in Jos South farm dispute
A move intended to bring about permanent peace in Plateau State has been initiated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The deployment of a special presidential emissary to the state, which has been the epicentre of inter-ethnic and inter-religious crises for decades, is a first step to bringing about a permanent truce on the plateau.
For two days last week, the emissary, Dr. Abiodun Essiet, had engagements with leaders of religious and ethnic nationalities in the state with a presidential peace deal.
According to Presidential Spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, Dr. Essiet also met with traditional rulers, community groups and youth representatives.
Essiet, who is the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (Northcentral), arrived in Plateau on Thursday, meeting separately with Christian clerics and Miyetti Allah leaders before convening a broad town hall meeting in Jos, the state capital.
The meeting focused on strengthening community-based peace structures and promoting coexistence among diverse ethnic and religious communities in the state.
In Barkin Ladi, she had an engagement with Reverend Ezekiel Dachomo, Chairman of the Regional Church Council, where discussions centred on the role of faith-based leadership in building unity and driving social development.
Dachomo, regarded as one of the most vocal figures for Christian communities in Plateau, joined Essiet in addressing widows and conveying President Tinubu’s message of ethnic reconciliation.
The presidential envoy also held talks with Fulani leaders in Barkin Ladi to deepen dialogue between pastoralist and farming communities, reaffirming the government’s commitment to inclusive engagement.
She later facilitated a workshop on establishing community peace structures across the 17 Local Government Areas.
In Bassa, the session brought together the Irigwe community, Miyetti Allah representatives and the Youth Council of Bassa Local Government Area.
Discussions focused on sustaining peace and strengthening the work of the 17-member peace committee, fostering dialogue and reconciliation among local groups.
Essiet reiterated President Tinubu’s “unwavering commitment to peace and inclusive governance,” stressing that community-based peace mechanisms remain essential for grassroots unity and long-term stability in the Northcentral.
A major early success of the intervention was recorded in Jos South, where a lingering dispute between a farmer, David Toma, and some herdsmen was resolved.
Toma had seized two cows after his farm in Gyel district was destroyed.
On November 15, the Chairman of MACBAN in Bassa LGA, Alhaji Isah Yau, paid N500,000 compensation to Toma, who subsequently released the cows.
Both sides signed an undertaking to maintain peace.
The Presidency said the Plateau visit forms part of the administration’s broader strategy to strengthen dialogue frameworks and encourage harmony across conflict-prone communities.
The history of ethnic attacks in Plateau is marked by a cycle of conflict that intensified around 2001, primarily involving clashes between predominantly Christian farming communities (like the Berom) and Muslim Fulani herders.
These clashes are rooted in long-standing issues over land ownership, political representation, and resource allocation, which are often framed by indigene/settler dynamics.
While pre-2001 violence was often less organised, the violence has become more widespread, brutal, and sustained across several LGAs since the 2001 Jos crisis.
