Jos killings: APC national chairman demands action against perpetrators

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has condemned the last Sunday killings of over 27 residents of the Angwan Rukuba community in the Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State by unknown gunmen.

The APC national chairman, who was in the state capital to receive President Bola Tinubu on Thursday, described the attack as inhuman, cowardly, reprehensible, and a direct assault on the peace, unity, and soul of Plateau State.

According to Professor Yilwatda, 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.

Professor Yilwatda, in a statement issued to newsmen in Abuja on Friday and signed by his media aide, Abimbola Tooki, the APC National Chairman maintained that “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.”

He challenged 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.

He said:” These evil perpetrators must no longer be shielded by silence, fear, complicity, or communal indifference” and declared 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He emphasised that the security agencies cannot continue to deploy outdated tactics against increasingly adaptive and ruthless criminal networks and expect a different outcome.

Professor 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.

ALSO READ: APC moves to woo Shekarau ahead of 2027

He said 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.

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

Professor Yilwatda also 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.

He noted that Plateau has long been celebrated as a peaceful and attractive destination with some of Nigeria’s most vibrant tourism centres, cultural attractions, and agricultural potential, but all of these opportunities remain vulnerable and stunted in the face of recurring attacks.

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.

He 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.

Professor Yilwatda 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.

Speaking on President Tinubu’s visit, the APC National Chairman described it as 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.

President Tinubu was received in Plateau State by the National Chairman, the Executive Governor of Plateau State, Barrister Caleb Mutfwang, former governors, political leaders, traditional rulers, religious leaders, elders, women and youth representatives, as well as stakeholders from across all segments of society in the state.