Plateau Killings:Mutfwang Urges Unity Among Stakeholders

From Tongnaan Bawa, Jos

Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has urged all stakeholders to unite to end the incessant killings and other security challenges facing the state.

Mutfwang,who made the call during an expanded emergency meeting with various stakeholders on Monday at the Rayfield Government House,Jos, stated that the state’s disunity had allowed the killings to persist, with each tribe viewing the attacks as someone else’s problem, until it is affected.

He emphasized that the enemies of the state could only be defeated when the people come together and confront them.

He traced the history of the state’s insecurity to the tenure of former Governor Joshua Dariye, and noted that the current situation is a continuation of the past.

The governor recalled that a State of Emergency was declared by President Obasanjo during Dariye’s tenure,but that the situation persisted despite various commissions of inquiry set up.

He lamented that the insecurity had led to a decline in food production, with many farmlands rendered inaccessible due to the risk of attacks.

He described the situation in in the state as “nothing short of genocide” and urged stakeholders to put aside politics, religion, and tribe to unite against the attacks.

Mutfwang also tasked the stakeholders including former governors, national and state assembly members, traditional and religious leaders, to work together to end the killings,re-emphasizing the need for unity to confront the security challenges and restore peace to the state.

Our correspondent reports that the emergency meeting aimed to find a collective solution to the security challenges facing the state, and the governor’s call for unity is seen as a crucial step towards addressing the situation.

Those who attended the meeting included former Governors, Ministers, National and State Legislators, Traditional leaders, religious leaders, security chiefs, civil society organizations and other stakeholders.

The expanded meeting later went into closed doors.