Plateau State: VP Shettima Visits Attacked Communities, Pledges Justice

Timothy Choji and Omolola Fadile, Jos.

Last updated Dec 27, 2023

Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima says President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration will not rest on its oars until victims of the gruesome attacks on communities in Barkin Ladi and Bokkos local government areas of Plateau State get justice and the residents are safe.

The vice president gave the assurance when he visited the affected communities in Plateau State on Wednesday to condole with the government and people of the state over the recent killings in Barkin Ladi and Bokkos local government areas.

“Please accept our heartfelt condolences and deepest apologies, because we won’t rest until you access justice and until you are safe,” the VP said, vowing vehemently that the killings on the Plateau and other parts of the country must stop.

Heartbreak

VP Shettima said that his principal, President Tinubu, had been heartbroken since he received news of the gory incident.

“The president is deeply shaken by this tragedy and shares in this unspeakable sorrow that has shattered the joy of Christmas across the country.

When one community bleeds, the entire nation feels the pain. The pain we feel now transcends ethnicity or religion, geography or politics. The grief that binds us is a testament to our shared humanity, not differences.

“We cannot fathom the depth of this grief beyond the experience of the bereaved. We can only offer to assuage your pain.

What has happened to you is a funeral for the entire nation. Our hearts bleed alongside yours, our dear brothers and sisters in Bokkos, Barkin-Ladi, and all over Plateau State,” the VP mourned.

He assured the people that the Tinubu administration is out to protect them and ensure justice, even though it appears as if the government has failed them in their time of need.

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— Presidency Nigeria (@NGRPresident) December 27, 2023

Collective Safety

He noted that justice is the path to collective safety, unity, and healing of the nation.

“We came to power promising to uphold the sanctity of every citizen’s life.

And now is the time to reassure you that this inter-community violence, which has hijacked the humanity and serenity of this beautiful state over the past decades, will never persist under our watch.

We will harness all our resources to bring those responsible to justice.

We will not rest until we are able to prevent the recurrence of these heinous acts.

Your blood, your tears, and your cries stain our collective conscience.

We are here for you; we are here, resolute in our commitment to ensuring that the perpetrators of these mindless killings face the full force of the law,” the VP assured.

He, however, appealed to the people of Plateau State to resist what he described as the temptation to succumb to sectional divisions or the poisonous rhetoric of hatred towards their fellow citizens.

“This violence persists due to this dangerous practice of treating criminals as ambassadors of their group, where the law is taken into our hands and where protection fails. But this is not the case now. This is a promise,“ Shettima reassured.

Governor Caleb Mutfwang

Earlier, the Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang described the killings as mindless, unfortunate, and barbaric, adding that he was heartbroken by the incident.

Mutfwang, who thanked the vice president for the visit, described it as a demonstration of the federal government’s resolve to end all forms of insecurity confronting the state.

”We are here to sympathize with you, and as governor of this state, my heart is so heavy. But the visit of the vice president is a clear demonstration of the political will to deal with the situation; the shedding of blood has to stop.

On our part, we will do everything to find a lasting solution to these killings, because I didn’t become governor to be burying people but to lead the living.

We appeal to the federal government to fish out the perpetrators of the dastardly act and make them face the full wrath of the law,” he said.

Mutfwang thanked the federal government for directing the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide relief materials to victims and promised to personally monitor the distribution of the items to the affected victims.

He added that the recent happenings would further unite all political leaders in the state toward finding a lasting solution.

Voice of Nigeria reports that the vice president was accompanied by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, among others.