Police arrest 17 suspects in connection to Plateau communities attacks

The Nigerian Police Force, NPF, have paraded about 17 suspects in connection to attacks and killings of citizens in communities of Mangu, Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi Local Government Areas of Plateau State.

BusinessDay reports that, amongst the 17 suspects, 8 of them are from the 24th December, 2023, Christmas Eve massacre, while 9 were nabbed in connection with a recent dastardly heinous crime in Mangu LGA.

Recall after the genocidal Christmas Eve attacks in Bokkos, Barkin-Ladi and Mangu communities in Plateau state, where lives and properties were destroyed, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbelokun had deployed AIG Zone 4, Ebong Eyibio, to Plateau with the instructions to unravel the attackers.

The Plateau State Police Command said they have successfully repelled an attack on villages in Mangu LGA.

Briefing newsmen Thursday at the Command’s headquarters in Jos, the spokesman of Plateau Police Command, DSP Alfred Alabo, on behalf of AIG zone 4, Ebong Eyibio, confirmed the success story recorded by the police so far.

“The Command is grateful to inform you that the situation as at today, is under control and so far, Nine (9) suspects have been arrested. Exhibits recovered from them include dangerous weapons, such as machetes, kegs containing Petrol, and other items. The area remains highly secured by security forces and strict compliance to the curfew is being complied with.

“So far, over 10 corpses have been recovered from various locations, two injured persons currently receiving treatment at the hospital, one car and Ten houses were burnt down.

“On behalf of the officers and men of Plateau State Police Command, I want to take this moment to commemorate with the government and good people of Mangu LGA over the loss of lives and properties as a result of these attacks.

“I also wish to make it clear that the Command under my leadership and supervision will bear zero tolerance to any act of criminality, and will continue to intensify its efforts towards restoring peace, public confidence and normalcy within the State”, he said.

In another development, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Plateau State chapter has condemned in strong terms the wanton destruction of lives and properties in recent Mangu clashed.

CAN chairman Plateau State, Rev.Father Polycarp Lubo, is saddened that people who were living together for decades turned against each other due to mutual distrust, as the attackers defied the 24-hour curfew imposed by the government and killed people, mostly women and children, in the Kwahaslalek community, in Mangu LGA.

While appealing for calm, the clergy advocates the creation of state police, calling on security personnel to discharge their responsibility with high professionalism so that people would have confidence in them.

Mangu LGA is still witnessing 24 24-hour dust-to-door curfew imposed by Governor Caleb Mutfwang to curtail the escalation of security breaches.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Plateau State, Musa Ibrahim Ashoms, while reacting to questions on Channels Television over the attacks in the state, said that the insinuations that the attacks were a “mismanaged political crisis” are misleading and don’t tell the true position of the matter.

He said that more than 90% of the members of the APC in Plateau State were in PDP and that anytime they were dissatisfied with their party, they crossed over to another party and nothing more.

“In Plateau our political crisis have never led to the mass killings of women and children in this magnitude” he added.

Ashoms who appeared on Channels Television’s politics and current affairs program ‘Lunch Hour Politics’ to discuss Plateau Security issues on Thursday noted that it was wrong for anyone to think that the conflict was politically motivated stressing that it was a case of terrorism “Ethnic cleansing, land grabbing and annihilation” in the State.

He called for the establishment of State Police so that communities will have the capacity to defend themselves and prevent these attacks from recurring.