*NGF Chairman cautions against cycle of violence
President Bola Tinubu has directed security operatives to arrest perpetrators of the recent killings in Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi LGAs of Plateau.
According to the Chairman of Community Peace Observers in the Bokkos Local Government Area, Kefas Mallai, over 150 people were killed by the gunmen, and more than 10,000 were displaced by the attacks.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang described the attacks as a “very gory Christmas” and disclosed that at least 15 people were buried in Mangun Local Government, with at least 100 corpses counted in the Bokkos Local Government.
The Plateau State Police Command reported a total of 96 persons killed and 221 houses set ablaze during the attacks.
Reacting to the incident, Tinubu, in a statement by Ajuri Ngelale, presidential spokesperson, directed “immediate mobilisation” of relief materials for victims of the attacks.
“President Bola Tinubu strongly condemns the heinous and brutal attacks in Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi Local Government Areas of Plateau State, which resulted in the tragic loss of many lives,” the statement reads.
“President Tinubu directs security agencies to immediately move in, scour every stretch of the zone, and apprehend the culprits.
“The President also directs immediate mobilization of relief resources for surviving victims of the primitive and cruel attacks as well as medical treatment for the wounded.”
The president assured residents of the state that the “envoys of death, pain, and sorrow will not escape justice”.
Also speaking, the Kwara State Governor/Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq described as shocking and sad the violent attacks that killed innocent Nigerians.
In a press release issued by the Governor’s
Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, Mal. AbdulRazaq sends his heartfelt condolences to the Government and people of the state, especially the bereaved families.
Condemning the gruesome murder that occurred on the eve of Christmas celebration, Governor AbdulRazaq insists that nothing justifies the violence visited on innocent people, urging the security agencies to get to the roots of the incident and bring perpetrators to book.
He prays God to give comfort to all the affected families, and appeals to everyone on the Plateau to do everything to avoid a cycle of violence, which only inflicts generational pains and underdevelopment.
