Governor demands withdrawal of Military, requests for Mobile Police deployment
Governor demands Withdrawal of Military, requests for Mobile Police deployment
The Plateau State Government has sharply criticized the military’s inability to protect communities from ongoing bandit assaults, demanding the immediate deployment of mobile police units to the affected areas.
This comes in the wake of escalating violence, including a recent attack in Riyom Local Government Area that claimed 27 lives.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang, who visited the impacted communities on Wednesday, directly attributed the failure to apprehend the perpetrators to security personnel, particularly noting a checkpoint just meters from the scene of the attacks.
Prof. Chris Kwaja, the Governor’s Special Envoy on Peace and Security, echoed these concerns in a statement released on Saturday.
He observed that the continued presence of soldiers has not translated into improved security or a reduction in the killing of innocent civilians.
“During the Tuesday night attack, the security forces, especially Operation Safe Haven, a security task force maintaining peace in the state, failed to foil the attack despite their presence in the area,” Kwaja stated, emphasizing that the attack was “avoidable, given the early warning signs and intelligence reports.”
The state government, through Kwaja, has formally called on the Federal Government to prioritize withdrawing all military personnel from flashpoints and replacing them with Mobile Police Squads.
The government believes this shift in strategy is crucial for a more effective and responsive security approach, anticipating that mobile police are better equipped to tackle the insecurity and restore peace to the region.
