President Bola Tinubu has approved certain firm measures, alongside ongoing security measures in Jos, to prevent a recurrence of the recent deadly attack in Angwan Rukuba, Plateau State.
This was made known by the Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang while speaking to State House correspondents after he met with President Tinubu.
Governor Mutfwang said the situation, which escalated on Sunday evening, has now been brought under control through coordinated efforts by security agencies.
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Describing the attack as barbaric and an act of terrorism against innocent citizens, Governor Mutfwang said he used the meeting to brief President Tinubu on the latest violence in Plateau State.
He explained that the meeting, held at the President’s invitation, was to provide him with a firsthand account of the incident, the steps taken so far, and the measures being proposed to prevent a recurrence.
“The meeting was first of all for me to brief him firsthand about what actually happened, what are the steps we have taken, and to also offer suggestions on our plans going forward.
“What happened on Sunday evening was quite unfortunate, but the situation has been brought under control now. We’ve been able to evacuate corpses to the mortuary, and some families have already buried their dead,” the Governor said.
He disclosed that a curfew was imposed in response to the crisis but was relaxed on Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
However, he noted that some individuals attempted to take advantage of the situation.
“This morning there were some looters who tried to disrupt the peace again, but I’m glad that the security forces working together were able to calm the situation as at 12 noon this afternoon. Presently, the situation is well under control,” the governor said.
Security Council Meeting
He made known that immediately after the crisis, the state government convened a Security Council meeting where certain steps were agreed upon, adding that the President also agreed that those steps should be taken.
“I have been able to agree on certain steps that we need to take, and the President has agreed that those steps should be taken,” Mutfwang added.
The governor said the President commiserated with the people of Plateau State.
“ It’s something that has touched him personally, and he wants to show the people his love and affection for them,” he said.
He further disclosed that the President has approved certain measures to be taken in conjunction with security forces.
“What I can assure you is that this has become a decisive turning point. Going forward, we’re going to see more proactive actions,” he said.
On the nature of the attack, the governor cautioned against attributing the incident to a single cause, noting that investigations are ongoing. He added that security agencies have yet to apprehend the perpetrators, making it difficult to establish their identities and motives.
“In a crisis of this nature, you can’t reduce it to one reason. It’s a mixture of multiple reasons, and sometimes you can only deduce the actual reasons when you are able to get two groups of people, the victims and the attackers.
“Unfortunately, we’ve not been able to lay hands on the attackers yet to know their identities and their motive,” he added.
Nonetheless, Mutfwang described the violence as criminal and terror-driven.
“We are seeing this as an act of criminality. It’s barbaric. We condemn it. It’s an act of terrorism, because whatever religion you belong to, it does not give you any basis to come and do the kind of actions that were done on Sunday,” he stated.
The governor assured that the government is hopeful that, going forward, the attack would be addressed strictly as a criminal act, with firm measures put in place to prevent a recurrence.
“We’re therefore hoping that going forward, we’ll deal with this as criminality and make sure that these kind of actions do not repeat themselves,” he added.