Plateau Killings: Tinubu Heads To Jos, Postpones Ogun Trip

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has postponed his scheduled trip to Iperu, Ogun State, tomorrow to flag off operations at the Gateway International Cargo Airport.

Instead, he will head to Jos, capital of Plateau state, to commiserate with the government and people of the state over the recent gun attacks, which claimed the lives of innocent citizens.

According to a statement by Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, from Plateau, the President will travel to Lagos to observe Good Friday.

On Saturday, 4 April, President Tinubu will travel to Ogun State for the inauguration  of the Cargo Airport and two commercial aircraft for the export and import of goods, aimed at boosting the state’s economic growth.

“He will also inaugurate the new edifice of the Federal Operations Unit of the Nigerian Customs Service and its operational vehicles.”

“He will return to Lagos to continue the Easter holiday, during which he is also expected to commission infrastructure projects undertaken by the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.”

“These include: the iconic Ojota/Opebi Link Bridge; the Lagos State Geographic Information System Building; the Multi-Agency Complex named after the President, and a school Complex.

“Before returning to Abuja, President Tinubu will visit Bayelsa State on 10 April to commission some of Governor Duoye Diri’s completed projects,” Onanuga added.

Meanwhile, Plateau State governor Caleb Mutfwang, on Wednesday, briefed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the recent violent attack in Angwan Rukuba, Plateau State, describing the incident as “barbaric” and an act of terrorism.

Speaking to State House correspondents after the meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Mutfwang said the situation, which escalated on Sunday evening, has now been brought under control through coordinated efforts by security agencies.

According to him, “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.”

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 of 12 noon this afternoon. Presently, the situation is well under control,” the governor said.

Mutfwang explained that his meeting with the President was at the latter’s invitation and aimed to provide a firsthand account of the incident, the steps taken so far, and the proposed measures in the future.

“The meeting was first of all for me to brief him firsthand about what actually happened, what steps we have taken, and also to offer suggestions on our plans going forward,” he said.

He revealed that immediately after the crisis, the state government convened a Security Council meeting at which certain steps were agreed upon, adding that the President also agreed to those steps.

“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 commiserates with the people of Plateau State and is contemplating visiting the state.

“As a matter of fact, he’s contemplating coming to the state personally to commiserate with the people. 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. In the future, we’re going to see more proactive actions,” he said.

On the nature of the attack, the governor cautioned against attributing it to a single cause, noting that investigations are ongoing.

“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 can get two groups of people — the victims and the attackers,” he explained.

He added that security agencies are yet to apprehend the perpetrators, making it difficult to determine their identities and motives.

“Unfortunately, we’ve not been able to lay hands on the attackers yet to know their identities and their motive,” he said.

Nonetheless, Mutfwang firmly 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 authorities would treat the incident strictly as a criminal matter and ensure such actions do not recur.

“We’re therefore hoping that going forward, we’ll deal with this as criminality and make sure that these kinds of actions do not repeat themselves,” he added.