The Nigerian Army has sent extra troops to Plateau State following three devastating attacks that killed 145 people and injured dozens more.
This is according to Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who appeared on Channels Television’s end-of-year show “2023: Year of Transition.”
“I have reeled out our plans for 2024 for Plateau State. The troops that we are deploying to Plateau, are on their way to Plateau now,” the army chief said on Sunday.
“This night or first light tomorrow, they should be on the Plateau. We are sending more equipment to enhance the efficiency of the troops.”
The death toll in Christmas Eve attacks on villages in Plateau climbed to almost 200, according to local authorities.
Over 50 villages were said to be affected by the attacks which authorities in Nigeria have condemned with President Bola Tinubu calling for a thorough probe.
While many have called for self-defence in the wake of the attacks, the COAS has ruled out such a move.
“I do not support that. I think that is a call for anarchy,” he maintained.
The latest attacks have also drawn criticism from several quarters.
“I am deeply alarmed by the series of attacks by gunmen on multiple rural communities in Plateau State,” UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement.
“I call on the Nigerian authorities to investigate this incident promptly, thoroughly, and independently, consistent with international human rights law, and to hold those responsible to account in fair trials.
“The cycle of impunity fuelling recurrent violence must be urgently broken. The government should also take meaningful steps to address the underlying root causes and to ensure non-recurrence of this devastating violence.”
Northwest and central Nigeria have been long terrorised by bandit militias operating from bases deep in forests and raiding villages to loot and kidnap residents for ransom.
Competition for natural resources between nomadic herders and farmers, intensified by rapid population growth and climate pressures, has also exacerbated social tensions and sparked violence.