The member representing Riyom Constituency in the Plateau State House of Assembly, Daniel Dem, has raised the alarm on the presence of members of the Boko Haram sect in his constituency.
Riyom and neighbouring Barkin-Ladi LGA in northern Plateau, had recently come under attack from unknown gunmen, the most recent being in Riyom on Saturday, May 9, in which two people were killed.
Dem, who is the Majority Leader of the Assembly, recalled that in the past few days, several attacks had taken place around Riyom, especially in villages such as Bagai, Bachit and Rim.
He, therefore, pleaded with the federal government not to allow the creation of another “Sambisa Forest” in his constituency.
Dem specifically called on the Special Task Force (STF) in the state to take immediate steps to protect his people.
It would be recalled that a similar alarm was raised just before the general elections when the head, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD Centre), Dr Yakubu Sankey, expressed fears over increased violence and unusual movements, which some of his workers sighted in remote parts of Riyom and Barkin-Ladi.
But STF spokesman, Captain Ikedichi Iweha, in reaction to the alert, dismissed the lawmaker’s fears, saying there is nothing like Boko Haram in Plateau State.
“It’s just talk, there is nothing like that”, Iweha said in Jos yesterday.
