The Middle Belt Youth Forum and Pan Niger Delta Youth Forum (PANDEF) have condemned the deteriorating security situation in the Middle Belt and Southern Nigeria.
The youth groups accused the federal government of enabling genocide through inaction and policies that favor aggressors rather than victims, stating emphatically saying “Enough is enough.”
In a joint press conference by National Youth Leader Middle Belt forum Comrade Brent kane and National Youth Leader PANDEF Chief Donben Donyegha respectively, held at the Secret Heart Pastoral Center in Jos, Plateau State, the two groups highlighted the scale of devastation in their communities, describing systematic attacks on ancestral lands as “engineered genocide.”
They warned that failure to act would not only doom the Middle Belt but have dire consequences for the Niger Delta and other southern regions. They called on the Nigerian government to immediately address the violence and take meaningful steps to protect affected communities.
Part of their grievances was the evolving security threat posed by Fulani militia groups.
“Once coexisting peacefully with Middle Belt communities, the Fulani, according to the youth leaders, have now become tools in a broader jihadist campaign of territorial conquest.”
They expressed outrage at government policies they believe are designed to legitimize the displacement of indigenous populations, describing attempts to allocate seized land to aggressors as “rewarding genocide.”
The youth groups rejected the controversial Rural Grazing Area (RUGA) initiative, now repackaged as the National Livestock Transformation Program (NLTP).
They characterized it as a deceptive strategy to institutionalize ethnic domination and seize native lands.
The forums condemned what they described as selective consultation processes, warning that such programs undermine the sovereignty and rights of indigenous people across the Middle Belt.
In a call to action, the groups demanded the immediate return of all lands taken by force, prosecution of those responsible for the violence, and reversal of illegal name changes imposed on captured towns and villages.
They accused the government of enabling this crisis by weakening local self-defense efforts, especially through clampdowns on licensed shotguns owned by community vigilantes, while ignoring the more heavily armed herdsmen.
The press conference also delivered stern warnings to local traditional rulers and political elites. Monarchs who facilitate Fulani settlements, they said, will face serious backlash from local youth.
Similarly, politicians were told to choose a side: support the people or step aside. “Silence is betrayal,” the leaders declared, demanding bold and honest leadership willing to confront the root causes of violence.
The youth leaders reaffirmed their commitment to non-violent resistance and the protection of their ancestral heritage. They called on national and international actors to recognize the gravity of the crisis and pledged to continue resisting forced resettlement by all legitimate means.
“The Middle Belt is not for sale,” the statement concluded. “We will no longer tolerate genocide against our people.they stressed.