North Central Governors Condemn Killings in Plateau State, Call for Lasting Solution

In a recent visit to Plateau State, the governors of the six North Central states expressed their deep concern over the attacks and killings carried out by gunmen.

Led by the chairman of the North Central Governors Forum, Abdullahi Sule, the governors paid a visit to the state to offer their condolences to Governor Caleb Mutfwang.

The visit came in response to the recent attacks on 25 communities in Barkin Ladi, Bokkos, and Mangu local government areas, resulting in the death of over 150 people.

Governor Sule expressed his sorrow over the unacceptable killings and stressed that the attacks have been ongoing for far too long. He demanded that the Federal Government investigate the root causes of the problem and find a lasting solution.

The other governors on the visit were Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia of Benue and Governor Mohammed Umar Bago of Niger State.

Sule expressed solidarity with Governor Mutfwang, stating , “We are here to share with you whatever situation you find yourself. I was here on a similar sad note, together with our delegation from Nasarawa State when it happened during the period of your predecessor.

“During the period, we asked specifically for the religious leaders to be the ones in majority, because we wanted to talk directly with our religious leaders, to talk to them about the need to continue to preach peace to our people.

“When we were coming, we talked about peace that we have always enjoyed on the Plateau, the love that has always been there, the period that some of us would walk from Dilimi, Rex, Kwararafa, the New Era and back to Kasua Dareng. Those loving periods that all the people in Plateau used to enjoy. What has happened?

“Your Excellency, we came all the way to ask you to take the courage to find out the root cause of this matter because we can’t continue to live like this.”

Sule, who called on the Federal Government to get to the root of the lingering killings with a view to finding a lasting solution, added “We have seen a similar situation in Rwanda because I won’t call what is happening in Plateau farmers-herders crisis, it is not.

“We have seen what happened in Rwanda and luckily, all the four of us governors were there and we listened to the President of Rwanda when he told us the courage that he took to invite everybody that is involved and look at the causes.

“We cannot allow a few people, for selfish reasons, to come in and destroy all of us. This is not about Fulani. It is about criminals. And we are asking the Federal Government to assist us and deal with the problem.”

Governor Mutfwang expressed his gratitude to the visiting governors, emphasizing the importance of unity and progress in the region.

He noted that all the states in the North Central region have been affected by banditry and urged them to come together to defeat the common enemy. Also, Mutfwang highlighted the deteriorating condition of the Wamba to Panyam road, which has become a safe haven for terrorists.

He called on the Federal Government to address the road’s issues, as well as the road leading from Abuja to Jos. During the visit, the North Central governors collectively donated N100m to support the affected communities.