The Berom Youth-Moulders Association (BYM) has threatened legal action against Professor Ayo Omotayo, the Director-General of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, over comments it described as offensive and defamatory towards the Berom ethnic group.
The controversy followed a television interview on Friday in which Omotayo reportedly referred to certain individuals as “Berom Militias” while speaking on the recent attacks on the NIPSS facility. The attacks, which have occurred over the past few weeks, reportedly claimed the lives of about four people, including security personnel.
Addressing questions on whether the attackers had been identified or arrested, the NIPSS DG explained that security agencies were yet to determine the actual perpetrators. However, he alleged that some youths, whom he described as “Berom Militias,” had been carrying out the attacks over demands for compensation tied to land occupied by the institution.
The statement sparked outrage among Berom indigenes and many Plateau residents, with several taking to social media to demand an apology and his removal from office.
Reacting to the development, BYM, through its National Publicity Secretary, Rwang Tengwong, called on Omotayo to immediately retract the statement and issue a public apology, warning that failure to do so would leave the group with no option but to seek legal redress.
In a statement titled, “A Call for the Immediate Withdrawal of Derogatory Reference to Berom People as Berom Militia,” the association condemned the remarks as ethnic profiling and described them as unbecoming of someone occupying such a strategic national position.
“The attention of the Berom Nation has been drawn to the unfortunate public statement credited to the Director-General of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), wherein the Berom people were collectively described as ‘Berom Militia’.
“This characterization is not only false, reckless, and misleading, but also constitutes a grave injustice against an entire ethnic nationality that has, over the years, remained committed to lawful coexistence, peacebuilding, and the unity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria despite enduring repeated attacks, displacement, and unimaginable losses.
“Words spoken by the head of a foremost national policy institution carry enormous weight. Such statements shape public opinion, influence government policies, guide security perceptions, and ultimately affect how a people are viewed both nationally and internationally.
“Consequently, labeling an entire ethnic group as a ‘militia’ is not merely a matter of semantics; it is a dangerous misrepresentation with profound legal, social, political, and security implications.
“To describe the Berom people as a militia unjustly criminalizes an entire ethnic nationality, stigmatizes innocent citizens, and exposes law-abiding Berom men, women, and youths to suspicion, profiling, discrimination, and possible persecution. Such a narrative also risks legitimizing aggression against our communities while diverting attention from the genuine security challenges that have plagued our ancestral lands for many years.
‘The Berom Nation is a peace-loving people with a rich cultural heritage, recognized traditional institutions, and countless sons and daughters serving Nigeria with distinction in government, the armed forces, academia, business, the judiciary, and other sectors. It is therefore unacceptable that an entire people should be branded with a designation commonly associated with illegal armed groups.
“National leaders, especially those occupying strategic public offices, have a moral and constitutional responsibility to promote national cohesion through balanced, objective, and evidence-based public communication. Statements capable of inflaming ethnic tensions or reinforcing harmful stereotypes must be avoided in the interest of justice, peace, and national unity.
“Accordingly, we respectfully but firmly demand the following: An immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the statement referring to the Berom people as ‘Berom Militia’.
“A public apology to the Berom Nation for the inaccurate and damaging characterization. A clarification affirming that the Berom ethnic nationality should not be associated with any criminal or militia designation.
“Failure to meet these demands will leave us with no option but to seek redress in a law court,” the group added.
