The Plateau State Association USA (PSA-USA) has condemned lawmakers representing Plateau State in the National Assembly for what it describes as their “dangerous silence” amid intensifying attacks on communities across the state.
In a strongly worded statement titled “Plateau Is Under Siege. We Demand That Our Lawmakers in Abuja Stand Up and Fight for Us,” PSA-USA President, Dr. Barth Shepkong, said Plateau State and the wider Middle Belt are experiencing “unrelenting waves of violence” that have decimated entire communities while political leaders “look the other way.”
According to him, Nigeria is at a “defining crossroads,” with Plateau communities — including Mangu, Bokkos, Bassa, Barkin Ladi, Riyom, and Kanam — suffering continuous killings and mass displacements.
“The painful question from Jos to Mangu, from Bokkos to Barkin Ladi, and across the diaspora is this: Why are our lawmakers in Abuja silent when Plateau cries out for justice?” he asked.
Dr. Shepkong described the silence of Plateau’s National Assembly members as “disappointing, dangerous, and unacceptable,” accusing them of retreating into political comfort while their constituents “bleed and bury their dead.”
He criticized Nigerian authorities for repeatedly labeling the attacks as actions of “unknown gunmen,” “miscreants,” or “communal clashes,” saying such language deliberately hides the scale and intent of the violence.
“These phrases sanitize horrors, obscure perpetrators, and diminish the urgency of action. Every euphemism is a betrayal of the dead,” he said.
The diaspora leader accused political elites of masking the crisis with vague language to avoid accountability, while the federal government fails to respond decisively to what he called a coordinated campaign of terror.
He faulted Plateau lawmakers for failing to raise motions, demand federal intervention, challenge misleading narratives, or publicly condemn the killings.
“The people of Plateau did not elect passive observers. They did not send anyone to Abuja to warm seats or whisper in corridors,” he said. “Silence in a moment of moral crisis is not neutrality — it is failure.”
Dr. Shepkong warned that entire communities in Plateau and across the Middle Belt are being “erased from their ancestral lands,” leaving survivors traumatized, displaced, and abandoned.
He said the moment requires courageous and vocal advocacy, not political calculation.
“We need lawmakers who will enter the National Assembly with boldness and conviction, declaring without hesitation that the blood of Plateau people is not cheap,” he stated.
PSA-USA also outlined urgent demands, calling on Plateau lawmakers and the federal government to:
End the politicization of insecurity
Speak boldly and truthfully
Demand justice, accountability, and protection for Plateau communities
Challenge false narratives
Lead with courage, not political convenience
Dr. Shepkong warned that Nigeria’s future depends on leaders who prioritize human dignity over political survival.
“Nigeria must demand leaders who refuse to remain silent as entire communities are destroyed,” he said. “This is the leadership Plateau deserves, the Middle Belt needs, and the country must demand — now.”
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