Former Governor of Plateau, Senator Jonah Jang, has stated that the non-arrest and prosecution of perpetrators of Plateau killings have bolstered the serial killers to carry out more and more killings.
Senator Jang averred that villagers in Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, Bassa, Riyom, and Mangu Local Government Areas of the state have continued to bear the brunt of terrorists who seem to have sworn to dispossess them of their heritage at all costs.
In a statement issued by his media consultant, Comrade Clinton Garuba, the former governor pointed out that the killers are out on a cleansing agenda and that their plan to take over the lands of the people they are trying to wipe out is no longer hidden.
“As painful as these killings are, equally hard and painstaking efforts must be made to put an end to them to restore Plateau to its known peaceful atmosphere, which made it home to many people, even in decades past.
“While we agree with the President that the culprits must be apprehended and made to face prosecution, we must note that these directives have been issued repeatedly. Yet, neither arrests nor prosecutions have been made in the past. It is therefore pertinent that, at this point, there is a need to attend to the call for state police as part of measures for boosting security, ensuring early response in crises, and confronting the challenges of insecurity headlong.
“A situation where state governors have no powers to immediately deploy personnel to quell attacks and confront marauding terrorists is worrisome. The killings are getting out of hand, and the state police option is viable for nipping these massacres in the bud. States should be given the power to create, train, and equip their police to enable state governors to deal with peculiar security situations in their various states,” he said.
According to him, more than ever, the time to heed the call for state policing is now, and he called on the National Assembly to take the call seriously, rise to the occasion, act in the interest of the Plateau People, and consider the issue a matter of urgent importance.
He commended the efforts of the Federal and Plateau State governments in responding to the recent attacks, adding that more can be done to stop the seeming non-stop attacks and the needless loss of the lives of innocent villagers who are murdered while in their sleep.
He said, ” There is more that can be done; the endless killings are unacceptable, and our people must be allowed to stay in their homes and continue to cultivate their farmlands without any intimidation or fear of unprovoked attacks that leave them homeless or decapitated.”
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