Seriki Adinoyi in Jos
Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, has ordered security forces in the state to go after attackers of Kuliyas Village in Butura, Bokkos Local Government Area, where four persons, including the village head, were killed by gunmen, warning that they must be arrested before they unleash further mayhem.
There have been pockets of attacks on some villages in the state in recent times, leading to the death of at least eight persons in the past week.
The governor, in a statement signed by his media aide, Makut Macham, described the recent spate of attacks on some villages, leading to the loss of lives, as unacceptable, and directed that the attackers must be fished out and not allowed to go unpunished.
Other villages, who had been under attacks were Follo, Karara, and Mangor, including the kidnap of some students at All Nation’s Academy, who were eventually rescued by security forces.
A combined security team that involved vigilante and hunter groups had earlier rescued ten other persons kidnapped by bandits in Bashar, Wase Local Government Area.
Lalong said the prompt action of the police, Operation Safe Haven, and community watch groups, who gave the hoodlums a hot chase and ensured that all the kidnapped persons and stolen items were recovered, deserved praise.
The governor said, “This level of criminality must be addressed holistically by the security agencies in collaboration with the traditional and community leaders leveraging on the structures of community policing and vigilante groups.”
He warned that his administration would not condone the return to the days of darkness in the state under any guise.
Commiserating with the families of the victims, Lalong assured them that those behind the attacks would be made to pay for their actions, and called for vigilance, as well as timely passage of intelligence and information to security agencies to proactively prevent such attacks.
