With over 100 dead within a fortnight in a series of attacks in the Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, an exasperated Governor Caleb Mutfwang has declared that the state has reached a point where communities would have to defend themselves against marauders who regularly visit them with sorrow, tears and blood. And multiple deaths.
At least 51 people were reported killed and many properties destroyed when gunmen attacked the Zike and Kimakpa communities of Kwall District in the Iregwe Chiefdom in the early hours of Monday. And there are fears that the morbid statistics may still rise as, according to a resident, search is still ongoing in the bushes.
| Mutfwang, who rushed back to his state from Ibadan, Oyo State, where People Democratic Party (PDP) governors were meeting, visited some of the affected communities in Kwall District on Tuesday.
Addressing residents at the Palace of the paramount ruler of Miango, during a condolence visit, a visibly emotional Mutfwang told the grieving audience that he had been overwhelmed by grief, since receiving report of the early morning massacre of Monday, April 14, 2025. Close to tears, Governor Mutfwang confessed: “I will tell you the truth: I have been crying since yesterday because I had trusted God that all the arrangements were put in place, that this will not happen again. We have made investments in security. “But like all human arrangements, sometimes they fail. I want to admit that on Sunday night into Monday morning, we failed you. Please, forgive me.” Just two weeks ago, about 52 people were brutally murdered by gunmen in Bokkos LGA. The attack sparked fears of deterioration in security situation in the state. Governor Mutfwang lamented that the spiraling security challenges on the Plateau have robbed the state of steady growth and development. |
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The governor disclosed that the state government had made tangible investments in technology to address the state’s current security challenges.
“Immediately we assumed office, we took decisive steps and invested heavily in technology just to end these security challenges facing us,” the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quotes the governor as saying during the visit.
“Insurgency and terrorism have deprived us of the riches of the land,” the governor lamented, “our developmental strides on the Plateau have been slow because of insecurity.
“There is no reason for us to be where we are; our people cannot go to their farms and engage in any economic venture.
“But as a government, we are doing everything possible to end these circles of attacks and killings.”
Governor Muftwang commiserated with the families of those who lost loved ones, and vowed to bring the preparators to justice.
The Governor thanked President Bola Tinubu for his solid support to the state, and praised the security agencies for their efforts towards ensuring that the prevailing insecurity on the Plateau becomes a thing of the past.
“We are here with all the security apparatus in the state to reassure you that we are committed to your safety,” Mutfwang said. “You have every reason not to be happy, but I want to assure you that we have taken steps to correct all the lapses of the past.”
Mutfwang said his administration had been supporting the military and other security agencies since he mounted the saddle in 2023.
“As a government, we will support the security agencies towards ensuring that our people are safe,” he assured.
He, however, said security cannot be achieved unless communities defend themselves.
“But let me remind you that whatever arrangements the security agencies will make may not solve the problem, the solution will come from the communities.
“We have come to a point in Nigeria, where every community must defend itself,” he said.
But the governor quickly warned that his government would not support ‘lawlessness’, an indication his call for communal security must be properly regulated.
“I will not, however, support lawlessness, but we can’t afford to go to sleep,” he said, advising the youth to rise up and defend their communities.
