Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State has admitted that security operatives in the state don’t respond to distress calls from the victims of violent attacks by unknown gunmen.
While strongly condemning the recent attacks in some villages in the state that claimed over 115 lives and displaced hundreds of people, he admitted that some responses come after the attackers have successfully carried out the heinous acts.
While refusing to point accusing fingers at anyone, Mutfwang, on Thursday, vowed to bring the perpetrators and their sponsors to justice.
“It is true that there has been instances where the security have not responded at all or they respond after the attacks,” he said.
Premium Politics reported that deadly Christmas Eve attacks by gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen claimed scores of live at the Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi Local Government Areas.
He said the attacks were criminal acts that had been masked with religious colours that deviated from the real intentions.
“These attacks have lasted for over two decades. These are criminal acts and have been masked with religious colours which deviate from the real intentions. Regrettably, over the years, not many arrests have been made and even when arrests are made, no persecution was carried out and so this circle of violence has continued,” he said.
He appealed to the security agencies to redouble their efforts and put an end to the senseless killings of innocent people in the rural communities of Mangu and Barkin-Ladi. He also emphasized the importance of peace and unity among all citizens, regardless of faith or ethnicity, for the development and growth of the state.
“I don’t believe there should be any political colouration; if the sponsors of these criminals are caught, we must deal with them as criminals,” he said.
He expressed his sympathy to the affected communities and families of the deceased, assuring them of the government’s commitment to addressing the issues.
“What we need to do is to improve on the operational capacity of these security agencies so they can be proactive and respond on time, within the resources that is available to them,” he added.
Mutfwang, who is a former Chairman of Mangu Local Government Area, was elected as the governor of Plateau State in March 2023 under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party. He was sworn in as governor on May 29, 2023.
The security crisis in the north-west and central regions of the country has stifled Nigeria’s development, despite its status as Africa’s largest economy and one of its top oil producers. After decades of conflict, current and former pastoralists from the Fulani tribe took up arms against farmers over limited access to land and water.
The attacks are sometimes reprisals and are mostly in remote areas where security forces are outnumbered and outgunned.
