Insecurity in Plateau orchestrated to keep state poor — Gov Mutfwang

Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang of Plateau State has stated that the insecurity in the state is an orchestrated plan by the enemies to keep Plateau State in perpetual poverty.

The governor said, having identified this, it is his sole responsibility as the Chief marketer of the state to dispel this narrative and reposition Plateau to find a good balance for productivity and economic development.

Addressing the audience at the town hall meeting to mark Democracy Day in Jos, Plateau State, the governor emphasised that the challenges people are facing, many of whom have been killed and displaced, were aimed at inflicting the pain of poverty on the peace-loving people of the state.

According to him, despite all the challenges, the people of Plateau State must make Nigerians know that they are ready for business, adding that despite all the difficulties, many Nigerians and foreigners still believe in the state.

He said, “Despite all these challenges, our profile to outsiders is rising. And that is why today, the patronage of hotels in Plateau State is the highest in the North, apart from Abuja.”

The governor further stated that his administration will not negotiate with terrorists or criminal elements, insisting that the government will sustain ongoing security operations to restore lasting peace across the state.

He maintained that engaging or negotiating with criminals remains off the table, stressing that security agencies must continue to take decisive action against perpetrators.

“Negotiating with criminals is not an option. We will continue to push them out of our communities,” he said.

The governor said his administration had intensified security operations across the state in collaboration with security agencies, community leaders and traditional institutions, noting that the strategy had begun to yield positive results in affected areas.

He explained that coordinated security operations had led to the arrest of several suspects linked to violent attacks, adding that the arrests were already opening new lines of investigation and providing useful intelligence to security agencies.

Mutfwang said ongoing investigations were helping to uncover wider criminal networks behind some of the attacks, while the government continued to support security agencies with logistics and intelligence gathering.