Fresh Trouble Looms as BYM Issues Strong Warning Over NIPSS DG, Omotayo Controversial TV Remarks

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The leadership of the Berom Youth-Moulders Association (BYM) has threatened legal action against the Director-General of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Professor Ayo Omotayo, over remarks it described as defamatory against the Berom ethnic group.

The association accused the NIPSS DG of making offensive statements during a television interview aired on Friday.

The controversy followed comments made by Omotayo while discussing the recent security incidents around the NIPSS premises, where a series of attacks over the past few weeks reportedly claimed the lives of about four people, including security operatives.

His remarks have since triggered outrage among the Berom community and many residents of Plateau State.

During the interview, Omotayo was asked whether those responsible for the attacks had been identified or arrested.

Responding, he stated that although security agencies were yet to establish the true identities of the attackers, some youths allegedly operating as “Berom Militias” had been carrying out attacks on the institution over demands for compensation relating to land occupied by the institute.

The statement immediately sparked widespread condemnation across Plateau State, with many residents taking to social media to criticise the description and demand an apology, while others called for the DG’s removal.

Reacting to the development, the Berom Youth-Moulders Association, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Rwang Tengwong, rejected the description and insisted that the remarks were unacceptable.

The group demanded that Professor Omotayo immediately withdraw the statement and tender an unreserved apology to the Berom people.

According to the association, failure to comply with the demand would leave it with no option but to institute legal proceedings against the NIPSS Director-General.

In the statement titled “A call for the immediate withdrawal of derogatory reference to Berom people as Berom Militia”, the organization described the remarks by the NIPSS as an unfortunate ethnic profiling which should not come from such a professional.

“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.

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