Hope is emerging swiftly in the aftermath of the tragic events in certain communities of Bokkos, Barkin-Ladi, and Mangu Local Government Areas of Plateau State due to the Christmas Eve attacks in December 2023. Currently, eight individuals suspected to be involved in the assaults, which resulted in the loss of approximately 200 lives, are already in police custody.
The state’s police spokesperson, Alfred Alabo, revealed this information on Thursday, clarifying that the suspects were apprehended at different locations.
Following this development, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun deployed officers to the North-Central State.
“Concerning the Inspector General of Police’s deployment, we have been getting tremendous success from that process,” the Plateau police spokesman said.
“It would also interest you to know that seven persons, in fact as of the last count, there are now eight of them under investigation in our custody and they have been moved to the state CID where the AIG Zone 4 and the commissioner of police are overseeing the affairs of the operation and also the investigation.”
The Christmas Eve attack received both local and global condemnation. President Bola Tinubu initiated an investigation into the incidents, while Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang called for collaborative efforts to identify and apprehend those responsible for these heinous acts.
Vice President Kashim Shettima visited the area to express condolences to the people of the North-Central State.
During the visit, Shettima appealed to the residents to “resist the temptation to succumb to sectional divisions or the poisonous rhetoric of hatred towards your fellow citizens, as we pursue justice to ensure your security”.
Bandit militias, situated in remote forest bases, have been a longstanding source of terror in North-West and Central Nigeria. They frequently raid villages to loot and abduct residents for ransom.
Social tensions and violence in the region have been exacerbated by the competition for natural resources between nomadic herders and farmers. This conflict is further intensified by rapid population growth and climate-related pressures.