x

Gen Alkali’s Murder: Community Leaders, Clerics Initially Shielded Killers—Lalong

Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong on Tuesday, poured out his grievances against community leaders in his state, including religious clerics, saying they played indirect roles in shielding those responsible for the murder of Major Gen Idris Alkali.

He attributed the occasional breakdown of law and order in the state to such tendencies, noting that it was disheartening that the same people craving for peace aid and abet crime by hiding those behind it.

In the case of Gen Alkali, Lalong said if the community heads had exposed the crime earlier, the situation wouldn’t have degenerated to the current state.
The governor made these remarks shortly after he accompanied members of the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) to the Presidential Villa to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari.

Alkali was declared missing on his way to Bauchi after leaving Abuja in the morning of September 3, prompting the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, to set up an operation to search for him.

While the search lasted, the car with which the late General was traveling with was found in a pond in Jos South Local Government Area. His remains which were initially buried in a grave was later exhumed and thrown into a well when the Army intensified their search.

He bared his mind while fielding questions from State House correspondents regarding his efforts at maintaining peace in the state.
His words, “The people of Plateau are making their complaints, everybody has a right to make complaints but as far as the government is a concern in Plateau, we have done a lot, we have gone far with some of the issues that were raised.

“The only one that put us back was the killing of the General. And I have also charged community leaders just like Mr. President said, I said if you want to ensure peace in your place, community leaders must also come out and expose criminals in their domain.

“But when you commit crime and community leaders or religious leaders fight to protect them that is why we have problems. If they had exposed the killers of Alkali earlier, everything would have been solved. But there you have community and religious leaders who claimed to be religious, who claimed to be religious leaders hiding criminals.

“They might not like me but that is what I am doing, I have said that yes you want the government to work, but if I catch you or get any criminal activities in your domain, we will hold the community leader, religious responsible. We cannot claim to live in a community and we don’t know the criminals or those who are the good people in such an environment.

“So we are doing our best. Even when they were doing investigation people were shouting but I insisted that this investigation must be done to the latter, they must investigate and find out those who killed the General and other people that were slaughtered on that road.

“By this, they are beginning to expose the reason for some of the crisis. And I always appeal that in a society like Plateau, we must learn to live together. It is not by chance that people were born in or outside Plateau, God brought us together and so if we want peace we must embrace each other and we must also give an opportunity for people to come and live in our state”.

Hot this week

CHAIN Urges Federal Government to Adopt National Policy on Religious Freedom and Equal Protection

By Achadu Gabriel, KadunaThe Christian Awareness Initiative of Nigeria...

NSUK Alumni Boost Campus Healthcare with N3.2m Medical Donation

By Abel Zwanke, LafiaThe Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK)...

CSO Urges State Governors to Emulate Jigawa Governor, Approve Advance Payment for 2026 Hajj

By Jabiru HassanIndependent Hajj Reporters (IHR), a faith-based civil...

Wike Arrives Dubai for 2025 Asia Pacific Cities Summit and Mayors’ Forum Meetings

By Joyce Remi-BabayejuThe Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister,...

Benue, Enugu Police Commands Strengthen Collaboration to Curb Interstate Crimes

By Isaac Kertyo, MakurdiThe Commissioners of Police in Benue...

Nigerian Government Receives 170 Citizenship Applications — Minister

By Francis Wilfred, AbujaThe Federal Government of Nigeria has...

New Kogi Police Commissioner, CP Kankarofi, Seeks Public Cooperation to Tackle Crime

By Noah Ocheni, LokojaThe newly appointed Commissioner of Police...

Hazras Charity Foundation Distributes Educational Kits to 1,000 Pupils in Kano and Jigawa

By Jabiru HassanThe Hazras Charity Foundation has successfully completed...

Football matches fixtures

Serie A18:30 CET CagliarivSassuolo 20:45 CET PisavLazioFriday 31 October 2025 Bundesliga...

King Cup: Ronaldo Reacts After Al-Nassr’s Shock Exit to Al-Ittihad

Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo has broken his silence following...

Related Articles

Popular Categories

spot_imgspot_img