Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, Friday, declared that those behind the recent deadly attacks in Jos will be tracked down and brought to justice, even as he appealed to residents to remain calm and resist the urge to take the law into their own hands.
Mutfwang, who spoke during an interview on Channels Television Friday, described the incident as deeply troubling, particularly because it occurred within the Jos metropolis, an area that had enjoyed relative peace in recent months.
“I want to sincerely appreciate the President and Nigerians in general for the show of love and how they have poured out their emotions towards us on the Plateau as a people and particularly for the families of the bereaved. Yes, we have been under some attacks of recent,” the governor said.
He disclosed that before the Jos incident, there had been an ambush on security personnel in Owase, which resulted in fatalities.
“The one you made reference to in Owase was actually an ambush by bandits on a contingent of security personnel who were on lawful duty, leading to the death of about three officers and other men,” he stated.
Providing insight into the attack, Mutfwang said the development marked a disturbing shift from previous patterns of violence in the state, which were largely concentrated in rural communities and outskirts of the city.
“The attacks we have been having in recent years have been in the outskirts of the city, down in some communities in local government areas in Plateau State. But this one inside the city is quite a challenging one. As a matter of fact, the community was blindsided. The security personnel were blindsided because of the relative peace we have enjoyed, particularly in the last ten months to one year. Nobody envisaged this kind of thing,” he said.
According to him, the attackers adopted a deceptive approach that enabled them to infiltrate the area without raising suspicion.
“They came in that manner, hooded, and were shooting in the manner NDLEA officers used to shoot. So people took it for granted that it was an NDLEA incursion into their territory. They did not resist it initially. But when they realised it, a lot of damage had been done. Before they could wake up to begin to pursue these attackers, they had made an escape,” he explained.
The governor described the development as unfortunate and worrisome, stressing that the incursion into the city centre had heightened concerns among residents and Nigerians at large.
“It is quite unfortunate. It is quite worrisome having to come into the city centre. But we are confident that by God’s grace this will be a one-off event and not a series of such events over the city,” he added.
On the question of arrests and identification of the perpetrators, Mutfwang maintained that security agencies were actively working on the case but declined to disclose sensitive details that could compromise ongoing investigations.
“I do not want to say more so that I do not jeopardise the ongoing investigations. What I would like to assure Plateau people and Nigerians is that by the grace of God we are determined to fish them out. And when we do so, Nigerians would know. Plateau people would know who these attackers are,” he said.
He further noted that while the government had formed certain suspicions regarding those responsible, it would be premature and potentially counterproductive to make such information public at this stage.
“We have our suspicions, but we would rather keep it until the security agencies have done their work. I can assure you that the security agencies are more motivated than before to unravel this because it is an embarrassment to them that this took place,” he said.
Acknowledging the anger and grief among residents following the attack, the governor urged restraint, warning that retaliatory actions could worsen the situation and undermine the peace the state has worked hard to achieve.
“We cannot take laws into our hands because that is not the right thing to do. I appeal to everyone, in the spirit of Easter, do not take laws into your hands. We cannot allow this to degenerate into a state of anarchy. We must remain a lawful society,” he cautioned.
He said the attackers’ objective was to destabilise the state and reverse the gains made in peacebuilding efforts over the past two years.
“The aim of these attackers is to set the state ablaze, to make us lose the gains we have made over the last two years. We cannot afford to lose those gains,” he stressed.
Mutfwang also highlighted ongoing efforts by community leaders and youth groups to de-escalate tensions and promote unity across religious and ethnic lines.
“At various levels of leadership, people are taking initiative to try to make peace. I was excited when the Plateau Youth Council initiated a conversation among the youth, both Christians and Muslims. Not even government initiated it. Christian leaders are reaching out to Muslim leaders and we are hopeful that this will yield the desired result,” he said.
The governor attributed some of the reckless behaviour seen during crises to younger individuals who may not have experienced the devastating consequences of past conflicts in the state.
“The recklessness we are seeing largely comes from the younger generation who had not experienced the pains of previous conflicts. Most of those who experienced the previous conflicts are fatigued and would rather have us live in peace so that we can develop as a state,” he noted.
On claims that the attacks may be part of a broader ethnic or religious agenda, Mutfwang said it was important to rely on verified evidence rather than speculation.
“At the moment, I would rather deal with this specific incident. What we are dealing with now is an act of criminality. We will investigate it as such. When we establish other motives beyond what is sheer criminality, we will make that known,” he said.
He emphasised that as chief security officer of the state, his comments must be guided by credible and verifiable intelligence to avoid inflaming tensions.
“I need to act on credible evidence, verifiable evidence and objective analysis. It will be irresponsible of me to make conjectures at this stage,” he added.
The governor, however, assured residents that justice would be served and that those responsible for the killings would not escape accountability.
“Not under my watch, not for this particular incident. This is an incident that touched me personally. We certainly will not sweep this under the carpet. And I can give you the assurance that when arrests are eventually made, none will slip through our fingers,” he declared.
He also revealed that authorities had begun clamping down on individuals using social media platforms to incite violence and spread provocative content.
“Before this incident, there had been a series of provocative outbursts, particularly on social media. The police had picked up one of those agents provocateurs and he is under custody. He was to be charged to court when this incident broke out. As soon as we are done with Easter, prosecution will begin,” he said.
“We are clamping down on social media anarchists. We are going after them. We will pick them up one by one and make sure they are brought to book. We are not going to allow people to use social media platforms to create tension, anarchy and hostility,” he added.
While reaffirming his commitment to freedom of expression, Mutfwang warned that such freedoms must not be abused in ways that endanger lives and public safety.
“I believe in the freedom of expression and we will not do anything to constrain people from speaking their minds, but not when what you say puts other people’s lives in jeopardy,” he stated.
On support for victims and affected families, the governor said the state government, in collaboration with federal agencies, had begun providing relief materials and assistance.
“Today I received a consignment of palliatives from NEMA, which is going to be distributed to some of these bereaved people. We are going to do much more. We are going to make sure that we do all we can to reduce the pain,” he said.
He acknowledged that while material support cannot replace lost lives, it remains necessary to provide comfort to grieving families.
“We can never replace the losses. Like the woman who lost her only son, we cannot replace her son. But we can do all we can to provide her with the comfort that we as human beings can give,” he added.
Mutfwang also addressed concerns about his presence at the scene of the attack, clarifying that security protocols influenced how he accessed the area.
He explained that although security personnel initially advised caution due to perceived threats, he insisted on reaching the scene to engage directly with residents and calm tensions.
“The security personnel have a duty to protect me. If they assessed that the situation was hostile, they had a duty to act. But I insisted on going to the scene. From where I stood, I was able to address the crowd, and when they saw me, they were reassured,” he said.
According to him, the narrative suggesting he avoided the crowd was misleading.
“I spent most of my time with the people, appealing to them and calming them. Social media can take a small portion and misrepresent it completely. I was comfortable with the people and I knew they were not going to harm me,” he stated.
Reiterating his call for unity, the governor urged Plateau residents to remain resilient and committed to peace despite the provocation.
“Plateau people are resilient. They have shown over the years that they will stand their ground. Anyone dreaming of dislodging people in this manner is living in a pipe dream,” he said.
He concluded by reaffirming his administration’s determination to protect lives and sustain peace in the state.
“We are determined to ensure that Plateau remains peaceful. By the grace of God, we will overcome this challenge and continue on the path of peace and development,” Mutfwang said.
Sunday Ehigiator
