the Christmas eve attacks on Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi local government areas of Plateau State, which officially left 79 people dead, President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, issued a stern directive to the security agencies to halt the carnage and go after the perpetrators.
Tinubu spoke during a meeting with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) at his Lagos residence.
The president declared that the federal and state governments had a joint responsibility to ensure peace and stability in the country.
Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, condemned the incident, and lamented that it was disheartening to continue to lose lives to senseless and unprovoked attacks.
Many prominent Nigerians and groups, including Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), northern leaders, including their governors and senators, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, and Amnesty International, also yesterday, condemned the attacks.
The Plateau State police command, while releasing details of the attacks, yesterday, put the casualty figure at over 79. But majority of observers, in and outside the state, claimed the dead persons were over 140.
Tinubu condoled with the victims and emphasised the sanctity of human life. He called for a paradigm shift among those with contrary beliefs, cautioning them about the inevitable consequences of their actions.
Talking to the governors, the president said, “Nigeria needs peace and stability to move forward. Nigeria belongs to all of us, and we have to take care of it.”
He emphasised the need for collaboration between the federal and sub-national governments to facilitate rapid infrastructure development in every part of the country.
The president stated, “I want us to discard federal, state, or rural road classifications. We must regard development as a joint responsibility. Let us prioritise our children.
“The school feeding programme must return quickly, beginning from the local government to the state and federal governments. We must be ready to protect our children and prepare them for the future.”
