North-Central governors resolve to combat lingering crisis in Plateau
…donate N100m to victims of recent attacks
Governors of the North- Central geopolitical zone have resolved to pool resources together to end the cycle of killings in Plateau State.
The governors made this known when Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, who doubles as the Chairman of the North- Central Governors Forum led governors from Benue and Niger states to commiserate with their Plateau State counterpart, Caleb Mutfwang, in Jos on Tuesday.
Sule decried the incessant killings in the Plateau, stressing that the situation should not be allowed to linger further.
He noted that the crisis in Plateau State may be about farmers/herders conflict but that criminals go on rampage, killing and maiming innocent citizens.
He called on the Plateau State Governor, to summon the courage to invite major stakeholders involved in the crisis with a view to resolving the matter.
“We have always enjoyed peace on the Plateau. What has happened? Your Excellency, we have come this time around to ask you to take the courage to find out the root cause of this matter. We cannot continue to live like this.
What actually caused the problem from the beginning?
“The people of Plateau have always lived in peace with one another. What has happened? What has gone wrong? How can we resolve it? Because this cannot continue to happen,” he stated.
While noting that the governors of the region are carrying out tangible efforts to address insecurity, Sule called for the use of technology to fish out the criminals perpetrating the mayhem in Plateau State.
He equally called on the Federal Government to wade into the matter in order to put a stop to the wanton killings.
He announced a donation of N100 million by the governors of the remaining five states towards resettling victims of the recent crisis in Bokkos and Mangu Local Government Councils.
Responding, Governor Caleb Mutfwang said the creation of states and local governments were meant for progress and not for division, stressing that the people of the North Central geopolitical zone will always remain one united people with lots of cultural affinity.
He said governors in the region should be able to pool resources together to be able to come out of the lingering security challenges.
According to him, none of the states in the North- Central have not been invaded by bandits.
“Bandits are terrorists. We need to label them as such so that we can deal with them as such.
“This is the time when we must come together as a people, when we must come together as a united front, in order to harmonize our position on the challenges that confront us,” governor Mutfwang said.
He also urged the National Assembly to liaise with their colleagues from the North-East to ensure the dualization of the Akwanga-Jos road, being the main corridor from Abuja to the North-East.
In a chat with journalists shortly after the meeting, Governor Sule said the region is considering hosting a security and economic summit as panacea to challenges of insecurity.
“We are here to commiserate with our brother, the Governor of Plateau State, regarding the massacre that took place in Plateau.
The North-Central governors are united and we are eager to ensure that we make an impact in our various states and the North-Central in general.
“We are planning a security and economic summit; we have met a few times to discuss this joint partnership in the areas of agriculture, mining and infrastructure,” he stated.
Gunmen suspected to be terrorists on Christmas Eve, attacked 15 villages in Bokkos and Barkin Ladi Local Government Areas of Plateau, killing hundreds of people while razing about 221 houses.
