Jos North Native Youths Reject Court Ruling on Indigeneity, Demand Plateau Govt Appeal

Our Correspondent

Native youths of Afizere, Anaguta, and Berom communities in Jos North LGA have rejected a 9th June 2026 High Court judgment on indigene certificates, warning that the ruling blurs the constitutional distinction between citizenship and indigeneity and threatens peace, Federal Character, and host community rights in Plateau.

In a joint press statement issued Monday, 16th June 2026, in Jos, the coalition of host community youths said the judgment in Suit No. PLD/J215/202: Fatima Baba Akawu & Anor v. Jos North LGC was “too weighty for Plateau to treat casually” because it touches identity, belonging, and the constitutional foundation of Nigeria’s federation.

The statement signed by Amb. Paul Stephen Mancha, Plateau State Youth Council Chairman, Jos North LGA, and 8 others, on behalf of the native youths of Jos North LGA, said the High Court mixed two distinct constitutional concepts. Citizenship under Section 25 guarantees any Nigerian born in the country the right to live, work, own property, vote, and access services anywhere.

The group, in their statement, added that indigeneity under Section 318(1) means “ancestral community membership” tied to paternal roots in a community indigenous to a state/LGA, and applies only to Federal Character, LGA quotas, scholarships, chieftaincy, and host community protection.

Citing the Supreme Court in Abegunde v. Ondo State (2015), they stated: “Residence or birth for 100 years cannot convert a non-indigene to an indigene.” Therefore, birth in Jos North makes one a citizen and resident, not an Afizere, Anaguta, or Berom indigene unless paternal ancestry traces to those communities.

The coalition said Plateau has “paid too high a price in blood and tears over identity questions,” and that a court-redefined indigeneity could reopen wounds the state is still healing from.

The youths insisted that if the judgment stands, Federal Character collapses and Section 14(3) become meaningless if every Nigerian born in any LGA can claim indigeneity there.

They added that Customary rights would be at risk as host communities stand to lose constitutional protection over ancestral land and chieftaincy under Section 315(5)(d), and peace would be threatened by redefining indigeneity by judicial discretion, which could destabilize Plateau’s fragile coexistence.

On Jos North LGC’s “Residential Certificate,” the youths said it was created not to insult anyone but as an administrative tool for residents who contribute to the city but trace their ancestry to other LGAs/states.

“If the process was abused, fix the process. Don’t erase the identity of the host community,” they argued, noting the Supreme Court has never declared Residence Certificates illegal.

The coalition called on the Jos North Local Government Council and the State Attorney General to “Break the silence, appeal the judgment urgently, and seek a stay of execution, treating it as a constitutional emergency.”

They particularly called on the State Government to “retrieve the ‘Plateau Resolves 2004’ and Government White Papers on Jos crises to guide any appellate process with lessons on identity and coexistence.”

The youths insisted that citizenship gives rights anywhere, but indigeneity for LGA benefits follows paternal ancestry per Section 318.

While reassuring that it remains committed to one Nigeria, justice, and lasting peace in Jos, the group urged citizens in Jos North to remain calm and assured that residents are welcome, safe, and neighbours.

They also appealed to all stakeholders to “Choose dialogue over litigation alone to protect both residents’ rights and host communities’ identity.

“This is not about rejecting you. It is about protecting the same constitutional principle that protects every community in Nigeria. All youths should remain calm and use social media to preach peace, unity, tolerance, and harmonious living amid heightened emotions.

“We are not fighting anyone. We are defending the Constitution. To turn ancestral identity into a matter of judicial discretion is a price Plateau and Nigeria cannot afford. For peace to endure, this judgment must be voided or retried at the same Court or tested at the Court of Appeal,” the statement concluded.

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