Ukandi Odey, Jos
Plateau State Governor, Barr Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, has said the spirit of the Plateau people to survive as one is not broken in spite of the coordinated terrorist attacks on Mangu, Bokkos, and Barkin Ladi local government areas that left more than 70 dead and several others injured on the Holly Night of 2023 Christmas.
Speaking on an international news channel monitored in Jos this morning, a sober and gloomy Governor Mutfwang said the nature of orchestration of the attacks, and the use of heavy and sophisticated weaponry suggest that the attacks are being sponsored, and to find an enduring solution to the challenge, the Federal Government should have the political will to deploy and unravel the sponsors, and arrest and prosecute them.
Explaining why these attacks on communities in Plateau continue to reoccur in spite of previous peace talks and initiatives, Mutfwang said although the efforts made by his administration since he took over about seven months ago had restored peace substantially, it also appears that “some people are not happy with the progress we have made so far”.
Pointing out that the response to distress calls by the security agencies when the attacks started on Sunday night were passable in average, he also reiterated the need for security reinforcement and equipping as the latest experience of these attacks show clearly that the terrorists are armed with state-of-the-art weapons, and could resist state security with superior fire power.
Mutfwang also pointed out that the security challenges of the region are daunting and even overwhelming, hence the need to upgrade training of troops and recruiting more to respond adequately to growing security demands.
Regretting that innocent people, including women and children, had to die in such gruesome and savage circumstances, the governor said it is discernible that the motive of the perpetrators of these deadly campaigns is land grabbing and forceful take over and occupation, adding however that as a government and civilize people, the state urges those who want to acquire land anywhere in the state to follow due land acquisition regulations, discuss with the people, and accept to respect their values system.
Saying the sponsors and perpetrators of these attacks are not spirits but certainly people lurking within, Mutfwang explained that the trend over the years indicate that once attacks are carried out and the natives and home owners are displaced, the attackers and their collaborators move in and take over such homes.
He said the situation is so bad that over 67 communities, including primary schools and primary health centers, are being forcefully occupied and kept out of public use.
Governor Mutfwang, who commended the security agencies for their counter offensive that staved the terrorists’ plan for a more comprehensive and devastating damage, said the situation would have been more deadly but for the timely and determined efforts of the security that repelled the attackers.
Nevertheless, according to Mutfwang, to bring this challenge under control, the security agencies have to be mobilized, equipped, and deployed “to be more proactive than reactionary, if these criminal elements must be flushed out our mist”.
Expressing hope that he would be meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to discuss the development and subsisting security challenges in Plateau, the Governor also said the government is taking responsibility for the medicals of those injured in the attacks, including security personnel, who are receiving treatment in different hospitals.
He said despite the challenges, the people of Plateau are undaunted, as he solicited prayers to back up the resolve of his administration to secure Plateau as “the home of peace and tourism”.
