The Plateau State House of Assembly on Friday told Governor Simon Lalong to find an immediate solution to the recurring killings in the state and restore peace accordingly.
It also asked the local governments, traditional rulers and community leaders to brace up and defend the people from further killings.
Announcing its decisions on the security crisis in the state, which was sparked by the August 14th murder of 22 travellers on Rukuba Road, Jos by some youths, the state assembly said it has given the governor two weeks to take action on its resolutions on security matters in the state and how to restore peace.
Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Mr. Dasun Peter, told reporters in Jos that the legislature wanted Governor Lalong to “come up with a statement defending us as a people and to bring back renewed commitment to the cause of Plateau.”
The legislators deplored the killings in Bassa, Barkin Ladi, Bokkos, Jos North, Jos South, Mangu, Riyom, University of Jos and Yelwa Zangam and declared them unacceptable and condemnable.
They asked the people of the state to defend themselves from further attacks.
Continuing, Dasun Peter said: “We are still expecting, with high hopes, the President to also come up with a statement about the killings in Yelwa Zangam just as he did on the killings of travelers along Rukuba Road, and to also indicate a sign of justice or we will see him as being reflexive about the conflict in Plateau.”
The Assembly said traditional rulers should reinforce their community vigilance/hunters groups to defend the people.
It said: “As a sign of commitment to this urgent need for the people to protect themselves, the Plateau State House of Assembly has directed all local government chairmen to suspend their planned recruitment of ad hoc staff and instead recruit 200 vigilance personnel in each local government area to boost and augment local intelligence gathering.”
It called for the arrest and prosecution of the brains behind the killings.
Why Lalong can’t tackle menace without FG’s support
However, a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, said that tackling the security challenge in Plateau State is beyond the capacity of the governor alone.
Speaking during an emergency meeting of stakeholders in Jos South LGA on the killings, Zazzaga said the Federal Government should wade in immediately and provide victims with relief materials.
He said state governors do not control security agencies and heads of such outfits do not take directives from them.
He said: “Where state governors who want to tackle violence in their states summon security operatives, timely intervention will not come because the security heads will have to wait for order from above for them to act. This is not healthy for the nation.
“Before an order is granted from above many lives would have been lost and property destroyed. That is why some individuals and bodies have been agitating for state policing.”
Meanwhile, the Lagos State government has evacuated its indigenes studying in the University of Jos (UNIJOS), Plateau State, following the recent crisis in the state.
At a news conference to welcome the students, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said the evacuation shows the state has the ability and capacity to response to emergencies, especially as it concerns its people.
Omotoso thanked God that none of the students died in the attacks. He therefore urged them to be good ambassadors of their families and government, and to observe the COVID-19 safety protocols.
The commissioner also urged the students not to loose touch with their studies, adding that welfare packages had been arranged for them to return to their families safely.
Permanent Secretary, Office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Kasali Adeniran, said the evacuation of students and non-indigenes of Lagos was another landmark event. He reiterated the state’s commitment to demonstrative good governance and providing enabling environment for the people to thrive.
The students thanked Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration for coming to their rescue because they had been under tension and experiencing sleepless nights since the attacks. They urged the government not to relent efforts to rescue others who were still stranded.
According to reports, the first set of evacuees, mainly students, arrived Lagos on Friday.
