Yilwatda: Shedding of Innocent Blood in Plateau Must no Longer Be Treated with Routine Outrage

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has said that the continued shedding of innocent blood in Plateau State must no longer be treated with routine outrage and temporary responses.

Yilwatda, in a statement issued Friday by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications Strategy, Abimbola Tooki, said it was not only unacceptable but a national tragedy.

He commended the visit of President Bola  Tinubu to the state to commiserate with the government and people of the state over the recent horrific and senseless killings of innocent residents of Angwan Rukuba in Jos North Local Government Area.

The APC chairman stressed that the president’s visit was a profound demonstration of responsive leadership, empathy and national solidarity at a time when the people of Plateau are grieving the painful and unjust loss of their loved ones to yet another round of barbaric violence.

Speaking during the visit, Yilwatda described the attack as inhuman, cowardly, reprehensible and a direct assault on the peace, unity and soul of Plateau State.

He noted: “The continued shedding of innocent blood in Plateau is not only unacceptable but a national tragedy that must no longer be treated with routine outrage and temporary responses.

“The time has come for deliberate, coordinated and result-oriented efforts by all relevant authorities and stakeholders to ensure that such dastardly and unconscionable acts never happen again in Plateau State or anywhere else in the country.”

Yilwatda called on leaders of communities across Plateau State to become more vigilant, responsive and proactive in identifying and reporting suspicious movements and security threats within their domains.

He noted that the recurring pattern of killings strongly suggests that many of those behind these heinous acts are not ghosts or invisible invaders, but criminal elements and miscreants living within or around the communities, exploiting local vulnerabilities to unleash mayhem on innocent citizens.

The chairman added that these evil perpetrators must no longer be shielded by silence, fear, complicity, or communal indifference. He insisted that they must be identified, exposed, apprehended and made to face the full wrath of the law.

The APC National Chairman further charged security agencies to urgently rethink and upgrade their security architecture and operational methods in tackling the persistent violence in Plateau State.

He emphasized that the security agencies cannot continue to deploy outdated tactics against increasingly adaptive and ruthless criminal networks and expect a different outcome.

Yilwatda therefore advocated the deployment of modern surveillance and intelligence-driven technology, including Artificial Intelligence-powered cameras, drones, advanced tracking systems, and real-time intelligence gathering mechanisms, to detect, monitor, and neutralize criminal elements before they strike.

He noted that the era demands smarter, faster and more sophisticated security responses, adding that the protection of lives and property must now be driven not only by manpower, but also by technology, intelligence, precision and accountability.

Yilwatda emphasised that Plateau cannot continue to mourn in cycles, while the enemies of peace roam freely and repeatedly unleash terror on innocent citizens.

He drew attention to the grave economic implications of insecurity in Plateau State, lamenting that the state, which is richly blessed with breathtaking natural landscapes, vibrant tourism assets and enormous economic potential, has continued to suffer avoidable setbacks due to persistent violence.

According to him, “No economy can thrive where fear reigns, no investment can flourish where blood is spilled, and no society can truly prosper where innocent citizens live under the shadow of insecurity.”

Yilwatda warned that without adequate protection of lives and communities, the social and economic future of the state could be severely paralysed, thereby depriving the people, especially young people, of prosperity, stability and hope.

He, therefore, called for a whole-of-society approach to ending the violence in Plateau, urging traditional institutions, religious leaders, political actors, youth groups, women’s groups, security operatives and community stakeholders to work together in honesty and patriotism to restore peace and stability.

During the visit, other leaders from across Plateau State also spoke passionately on the disturbing security situation in the state and the urgent need for decisive and sustained intervention to halt the bloodshed and restore confidence among the people.