APC Chair Condemns Plateau Killings, Demands Action Against Perpetrators

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has condemned what he described as recent horrific and senseless killings of innocent residents of Angwan Rukuba in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau state.

Yilwatda who commended the visit of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to commiserate with the government and people of the state over the dastardly act, called for decisive actions against the perpetrators.

He described the President’s visit is a profound demonstration of responsive leadership, empathy, and national solidarity at a time when the people of Plateau are grieving the painful and unjust loss of their loved ones to yet another round of barbaric violence.

Speaking during the visit, Yilwatda described the attack as inhuman, cowardly, reprehensible and a direct assault on the peace, unity, and soul of Plateau state.

According to him, the continued shedding of innocent blood in Plateau is not only unacceptable but a national tragedy that must no longer be treated with routine outrage and temporary responses.

In a Statement signed by his
Special Adviser on Media and Communications Strategy, Abimbola Tooki, Yilwatda stressed that the time has come for deliberate, coordinated, and result-oriented efforts by all to ensure that such dastardly acts never repeat in Plateau or anywhere else in the country.

He called on leaders of communities across Plateau State to become more vigilant, responsive, and proactive in identifying and reporting suspicious movements and security threats within their domains.

Yilwatda noted that the recurring pattern of killings strongly suggests that many of those behind these heinous acts are not ghosts or invisible invaders, but criminal elements and miscreants living within or around the communities, exploiting local vulnerabilities to unleash mayhem on innocent citizens.

He said, “these evil perpetrators must no longer be shielded by silence, fear, complicity, or communal indifference,” insisting that they must be identified, exposed, apprehended, and made to face the full wrath of the law.

The APC National Chairman further charged security agencies to urgently rethink and upgrade their security architecture and operational methods in tackling the persistent violence in Plateau State.

He emphasised that the security agencies cannot continue to deploy outdated tactics against increasingly adaptive and ruthless criminal networks and expect a different outcome.

Yilwatda therefore advocated the deployment of modern surveillance and intelligence-driven technology, including Artificial Intelligence-powered cameras, drones, advanced tracking systems, and real-time intelligence gathering mechanisms, to detect, monitor, and neutralize criminal elements before they strike.

He said the era demands smarter, faster, and more sophisticated security responses, adding that the protection of lives and property must now be driven not only by manpower, but also by technology, intelligence, precision, and accountability.

Yilwatda stated clearly that Plateau cannot continue to mourn in cycles, while the enemies of peace roam freely and repeatedly unleash terror on innocent citizens.

He also drew attention to the grave economic implications of insecurity in Plateau State, lamenting that the state, which is richly blessed with breathtaking natural landscapes, vibrant tourism assets, and enormous economic potential, has continued to suffer avoidable setbacks due to persistent violence.

Yilwatda noted that Plateau has long been celebrated as a peaceful and attractive destination with some of Nigeria’s most vibrant tourism centres, cultural attractions, and agricultural potential, but all of these opportunities remain vulnerable and stunted in the face of recurring attacks.

Yilwatda maintained that no economy can thrive where fear reigns, no investment can flourish where blood is spilled, and no society can truly prosper where innocent citizens live under the shadow of insecurity.

He warned that without adequate protection of lives and communities, the social and economic future of the state could be severely paralysed, thereby depriving the people, especially young people, of prosperity, stability, and hope.

Yilwatda called for a whole-of-society approach to ending the violence in Plateau, urging traditional institutions, religious leaders, political actors, youth groups, women’s groups, security operatives, and community stakeholders to work together in honesty and patriotism to restore peace and stability.