Jos killings: Why Tinubu addressed victims at the airport — Presidency

The Presidency on Friday justified the Thursday meeting between President Bola Tinubu and victims of the Jos killings at the Airport in the North Central state.

Checks revealed that President Tinubu’s interaction with Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, top citizens of the state and victims of the attacks took place at a hall located within the airport.

Certain opposition figures have indicted President Tinubu as they submitted that his visit was purely ceremonial, bereft of empathy, considering the number of lives lost and victims displaced by the unknown gunmen who struck last Sunday, killing over 27 residents of Angwan Rukuba community in the Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State.

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President, Information and Strategy, in a statement, painted a picture of the busy schedule of President Tinubu, prior to his arrival in Jos and the absence of navigational aids for night flights at the Jos airport.

He said: “President Tinubu’s itinerary for Thursday included two main engagements: receiving the Chadian President, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, and proceeding to Iperu, Ogun State. After Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s briefing, President Tinubu suspended the trip to Ogun. Overnight, the Presidential Villa made arrangements for the visit to Jos, with presidential assets quickly deployed.

“However, the President could not postpone the scheduled visit by the Chadian leader.

“The President of Chad was at the Presidential Villa for a very important bilateral meeting focused on strengthening security collaboration between the two countries. The meeting ran longer than expected, affecting President Tinubu’s scheduled departure for Jos.

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“Upon arrival in Jos, the visit encountered some logistical challenges. “While the road distance from the airport to Jos township is approximately 40 minutes, the runway does not support night flights due to the absence of navigational aids. The constraints made it unfeasible to drive into town, meet victims for on-the-spot assessment and return to the airport before dusk. Consequently, state and federal officials decided to bring representatives of the affected community to a hall adjoining the airport so the President could meet with them promptly while adhering to flight restrictions. “Among the people in the hall were the Minister of Defence, the Chief of Army Staff and the Inspector General of Police, who had visited Rukuba, the epicentre of the conflict. President Tinubu deployed the high-level team to Rukuba, including the Senior Special Assistant on Community Engagement, to undertake critical groundwork on security and community engagement, with a view to stabilising the area before his arrival.”

The Presidential spokesperson, however, maintained that the objective of the visit: empathy for the victims and finding solution to the persistent security challenges in Plateau State was achieved as President Tinubu met with key stakeholders in the North central state.

Onanuga also dropped hint of a follow up meeting in Abuja to find lasting solution to the perennial clashes in the state.

“Beyond expressing his condolences to the victims, President Tinubu’s objective was to engage with critical stakeholders in Plateau State on ending the recurring, decades-old conflict that has resulted in needless loss of lives and property.

“President Tinubu’s visit to Jos was not merely symbolic. It was a strategic, high-level engagement aimed at bringing all stakeholders together to address the root causes of conflict and insecurity in the state.

“He interacted with the victims, consoled them, and listened to them. “He also listened to local leaders and assured them that the federal government would deliver justice and end the cycle of violence. He promised the deployment of 5000 AI-enabled cameras to monitor the city and enhance the identification and arrest of troublemakers.

“Furthermore, the President invited the community leaders to Abuja for further talks on finding a lasting solution to the recurring violence in the state.

“The meeting, televised live, was solemn and reassuring, boosting residents’ confidence. President Tinubu achieved the purpose of his visit, despite the naysayers’ attempts to ridicule it. He dropped an unmistakable message: sustainable peace must be built with the people, not imposed on them.”