ABUJA, Nigeria — President Bola Tinubu go meet service chiefs after him return from Paris to discuss the increase for killings wey dey happen for Plateau, Benue, and other regions. Tinubu come back for Abuja on Monday night after him two-week working visit abroad. E land for Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport around 9:50 PM, according to the State House media office.
Since April 2, wey him waka go Paris, over 120 people don die from armed groups, and plenty homes don burn down wey cost about 3,000 people to lose dem zone. For Benue, at least 56 people wey no do anything die for Logo and Gbagir after armed herders attack them. Sources say Tinubu dey worried as e plan to gather service chiefs and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu to discuss the current situation.
A top official wey talk to The PUNCH confirm say security meeting go focus on the rising violence and the measures wey fit contain am. “The President go surely meet service chiefs to evaluate the security for across Nigeria, especially for hot spots like Plateau, Benue, and Borno. Even while e dey abroad, e dey receive security briefings and dey give directives to military leaders,” the official talk.
The presidency also fit blame state governors for this rising violence. Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, talk on TVC’s Beyond the Headlines, say some governors dey allocate as small as N20 million monthly to security outfits while dem security votes dey run into billions. “Where we dey head?” hin ask.
Bwala argue say the calls for state police dey show poor governance wey dey happen for local level. E suggest say states fit use the resources wey dem get to improve their security situation. “Governors wey dey receive billions fit create local vigilante systems to work together with federal security agencies to protect all of us,” hin talk.
Meanwhile, the governor of Jigawa State, Umar Namadi, oppose the suggestion from former Army Chief Theophilus Danjuma dat Nigerians should defend themselves. He argue say dis kind move go cause anarchy, stressing say the government dey do wetin dem fit to restore security. “Asking citizens to pick up arms against bandits go only escalate the chaos,” Namadi explain.
On the other hand, stakeholders for Plateau and Taraba don endorse Danjuma’s call for people to defend themselves against attackers as community no dey see any action from the government. Jackson Dauda, a local security officer, don voice support for self-defence as essential due to the current risks in Plateau State.
Dr. Simon Nuhu, a security expert, talk say self-defence could spark more violence and instability. He call for better policing and measures to address the root causes of violence, while ter tiv of Taraba State, David Tela, echo say while self-defence call get weight, Governor Agbu Kefas don perform well to secure the area.
The situation don bring protests in Jos, Plateau State, as people dey tire for these continuous killings. The protest led by Christian leaders highlight the urgent need for government intervention. “We no happy over the killings in our communities, that’s why we don come out to protest,” say Gyang Dalyop, one of the protester.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang assure the protester say dem dey keep records of all the killings and anybody wey dey involve for this killings go face justice. Oba Akintunde Akinyemi from Ogun State also urge President Tinubu to take serious actions against the upsurge of killings in the land, insisting say Nigeria need strong leadership to combat this madness.
