Plateau attack: Security expert cautions against inciting statements

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A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos state and security expert, Ambassador Abayomi Mumuni, has cautioned religious and ethnic leaders against inciting statements in respect of the attacks in Plateau state.

He said that this is necessary in order to avoid more needless crises in the state Plateau state and other states across the federation.

Recall that no fever than 163 people have been reportedly killed in the last two weeks in the state.

It was gathered that some gunmen invaded two local government areas in the state; Barkin -Ladi and Bokkos and killed several people and destroyed property worth millions of naira.

But, Mumuni in his reaction, cautioned religious and ethnic demagogues to eschew statements that are capable of inciting the people and pitching them against one another.

Mumuni, who is also an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Lagos State, condemned the attack which he described as cruel and disheartening, according to a statement issued by his media aide, Rasheed Abubakar on Tuesday, January 2, 2024.

He said, “The roles that some religious and ethnic leaders play in this crisis are also condemnable. My investigations into the Plateau crisis show that some religious scholars preach hate to their followers. That is so ungodly, and they should stop. The government must also rise to monitor and manage the kind of sermons pushed out by the religious leaders.

“It is hate sermons that incite people to reprisal attack which has been identified as a major highlight in the Plateau crisis. We must at all times preach tolerance and understanding. I believe the establishment of state police will do more to reveal and investigate the local issues surrounding the constant attacks in Plateau,” he said.

Mumuni who served in the Security/Intelligence Directorate of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in the 2023 general election said that state police will give latitude to Governors who are Chief Security Officers of their states to address security matters with the urgency that is required without selfish interests and primordial sentiments.

He added that there should mechanism in place to ensure that the police structure isn’t totally in the control of the State government.

“The crisis in Plateau State is not new, and it has multiple dimensions. There is a long, deep-seated ethnic/religious rivalry in that state. There is also the herders-farmers dimension to killings reported in the state. The crisis has turned out to be what the people are accustomed to. There is therefore a need for local intelligence and approach to tackle the crisis.

The renowned author of ‘Global Terrorism and its Effects on Humanity ‘ however said that the Plateau Christmas eve attack is a wake-up call to the Federal Government and National Assembly to immediately revisit the age-long call for state police amidst rising insecurity.

“In view of this, I want to urge the Federal Government ably led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly to revisit the calls for state police in Nigeria. Apart from engendering true federalism in the country, which the President has consistently identified with, the establishment of state police has the tendency to tackle most of our security challenges in Nigeria. This is because these security challenges are rooted in local matters such as a distrust between two ethnic or religious or even economic groups.”

Mumuni noted that state police will give latitude to Governors who are Chief Security Officers of their states to address security matters with the urgency that is required without selfish interests and primordial sentiments, adding that there should be mechanisms in place to ensure that the police structure isn’t totally in the control of the State government.

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