A former military administrator of Plateau State, Real Admiral Bitrus Atukum (rtd) has called on the Federal Government to declare the Fulani herdsmen attacking communities in the state as terrorists.

He said the target of the assailants is to keep the citizenry under perpetual poverty.

Atukum equally accused the killer herdsmen of “economic sabotage”, noting that they attack mostly when the planting and harvest seasons are approaching.

He equally observed that another reason for the attacks is purely land grabbing.

The retired army officer lamented that government is fighting insecurity on the Plateau with kid gloves.

Atukum’s comments followed recent killings in Bokkos LGA of Plateau State.

Ekwutosblog recalls that over 50 people were recently killed, thousands displaced and their means of livelihood destroyed in some communities of Bokkos LGA.

“The endless attacks on villages by the Fulani is a strategic act of terrorism, as such government should note this and label them as terrorists who are not only at war with armless and harmless civilians, but the country as a whole,” he said.

Atukum called on the citizens to defend themselves against the aggressors to protect their ancestral lands.

The former military administrator also decried last Tuesday’s press briefing held in Kaduna by one Garba Abdullahi Mohammed, a leader of Fulani groups.

“All these details given at that press briefing can be verified; government has relevant information as to where it can start the investigation.

“You cannot allow people under the pretext of the freedom of speech to be making this kind of statements, few days after the killings in Bokkos. These are unprovoked attacks!

“In the past, they used to say farmer-herder clash. How can you have clash in someone’s bedroom?

“Government is fighting this insecurity on the Plateau with kid gloves.

“I would have expected that on the Plateau, where you have hills and small mountains that are being inhibited by these Fulani herdsmen; what is the difficulty in ordering the army to and fish them out there?

“These people come down from these hills, commit havoc and disappear, and that is where they hide their weapons.

“So I just believe in addition to what the government is doing, they can do more,” he stressed.

Six men, ages 34 to 59, and a 44-year-old woman were arrested, said the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM). Around 40 officers were involved in the operation.

The arrests, which mark the final phase of the Americano Project, were made in the boroughs of LaSalle and Verdun, as well as in Brossard.

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“It’s going to hurt traditional Italian organized crime in this area,” Francis Renaud, head of the SPVM’s organized crime unit, told reporters on Wednesday morning.

“We’re used to seeing traditional Italian organized crime in the Saint-Léonard area … but in LaSalle, it’s a well-hidden stronghold.”

Who are the suspects
The seven individuals, whom Renaud believes to be the “most influential people” in LaSalle, operated under the radar, he said. They were very well-known by the LaSalle community and some of them owned businesses.

Large-scale drug trafficking of cocaine was their specialty, said Renaud, and their team would sell drugs to resellers. Their clients were from all over the province.

Francis Renaud
Francis Renaud is the head of Montreal police’s organized crime unit. (Ivanoh Demers/Radio-Canada)
Renaud added that the individuals collaborated with other known criminal organizations, groups that would’ve previously been considered “enemies.”

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“In LaSalle, it’s pretty special,” said Renaud.

“The Italian organized crime [there] are not afraid to mix with other organized crime that we know, the bikers, the Irish, to make their business go on. And they’re getting along. That’s the special effect of LaSalle.”

Various charges
The suspects will appear at the Montreal courthouse by the end of the day.

Five of them are facing charges of committing an offence for the benefit of a criminal organization, drug trafficking and possession of substances for the purpose of trafficking, according to the SPVM.

Previous phases of the criminal investigation, which began in August 2023, led to the seizure in January and May 2024 of more than 32 kilograms of cocaine, over $2.2 million in cash, four kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, 12 firearms and several other items of evidence, said the police.

Three individuals who were previously arrested as part of the investigation have already appeared in court and were released. Renaud said they will appear again in court “probably with slightly more severe charges” than the initial charges they were facing.He explained that Wednesday’s operation included wiretaps, video surveillance and investigators working day and night for two years.

Renaud said “of course” the organization will find replacements for those arrested, which will force his unit to launch another investigation.

“It’s our job to monitor the intel and to see [who] is coming in to take the place and do the exact same thing again, and see you guys in a year or two,” said Renaud with a smile.

The administration of President Donald Trump has revoked the visas of hundreds of international students, forcing many to exit the US within days.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed responsibility for revoking no fewer than 300 visas, calling the students “lunatics” for their activism.

“Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visas,” he said.

The students affected are not being detained but told to leave the country within seven days.

This development has sparked protests, including at the University of Arizona and Tufts University, where Turkish student Rumeysa Öztürk was detained despite holding a valid visa.

Colorado State University confirmed six student visa revocations, while the University of Massachusetts-Amherst said five students were affected.