Map of Plateau state used to demonstrate the story.
By Marie-Therese Nanlong
Jos – Media practitioners in Plateau State have been urged to continue to show professionalism while reporting on issues of the farmers/herders conflicts, taking cognizant of the fact that criminality has crept in as criminals hide under the chronic situation to perpetrate crime.
The appeal was given on Wednesday in Jos by the leadership of the Plateau Peace Building Agency, PPBA during a day consultative meeting with media stakeholders with the theme: “taking advantage of the convergence of news media in reporting the farmer and herder conflict in Plateau state.”
It would be recalled that PPBA is a State government-owned Agency saddled with the responsibility of among other things, mediating and fostering peaceful coexistence among the people in communities.
Speaking at the event, the Director-General of the Agency, Joseph Lengmang, represented by the Media Officer of the Agency, Kenneth Dakop, disclosed the meeting aimed to strategize and strengthen the relationship between journalists and the Agency and solicited the continued cooperation of the media in a de-escalating conflict situation in the State.
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He noted the Agency is working to ensure peaceful coexistence in communities and called on citizens whose lands have been grabbed by strange people to take advantage of the anti-land grabbing law in the State to approach the court and seek redress.
At the interaction, participants who were drawn from the print, electronic and new media tasked the State Government and its agencies to be sincere to earn the trust of the people.
They also urged the Agency to engage in aggressive sensitization so that those at the grassroots would understand the Agency’s work and partner with the Agency for sustainable peace to be achieved.
