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President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday met with Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang at the Presidential Villa in Abuja amid growing concerns over recent violent attacks in the state.
Governor Mutfwang arrived at Aso Rock Villa around 6:45 pm for the meeting following the Palm Sunday assault in the Angwan Rukuba area of Jos that reportedly left at least 27 people dead.
The visit also follows an earlier presidential directive summoning the governor for discussions on the deteriorating security situation in Plateau State.
In a statement earlier in the week, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said Tinubu strongly condemned the killings in Jos as well as a separate attack in Kahir village in Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State, where wedding guests were killed and abducted.
The president had described the incidents as “barbaric and cowardly,” insisting that those responsible would be brought to justice.
He also commended Mutfwang for efforts to contain the situation in Plateau while directing security agencies to intensify operations to track down the attackers.
Tinubu further cautioned against reports suggesting the violence was religiously motivated, warning that such narratives could worsen tensions.
The meeting is expected to focus on immediate security interventions aimed at preventing further attacks in the state.
Speaking to reportes after the meeting, Mutfwang stated that the state and security agencies were yet to identify those who carried out the Sunday killing in Pleateau.
“Unfortunately, we’ve not been able to lay hands on the attackers yet to know their identities and their motive, but of course, the victims would normally speak like you have said, but we are seeing this as an act of criminality. It’s barbaric. We condemn it.
“It’s an act of terrorism, because whatever religion you belong to, it does not give you any basis to come and do the kind of actions that were done on Sunday. We’re therefore hoping that going forward, we’ll deal with this as criminality and make sure that these kinds of actions do not repeat themselves.”
On his summons by the President, he said, “Well, the meeting was first of all for me to brief him firsthand about what actually happened, what are the steps we have taken, and to also offer suggestions. I mean, what are our plans going forward? Immediately after the crisis, we convened a Security Council meeting.
“We have been able to agree on certain steps that we need to take, and the President I have briefed him, and the President has agreed that those steps should be taken.
“The President commiserates with the entire state, and as a matter of fact, he’s contemplating coming to the state personally to commiserate with the people. It’s something that has touched him personally, and he wants to show the people his love and affection for them.
“And so, he has approved certain measures that we need to take further in conjunction with the security forces.
“What I can assure you is that this has become a decisive turning point that I’m sure going forward we’re going to see more proactive actions.”
