The Chairman, Senate Committee on Labour, Employment, and Productivity, Senator Diket Plang, has described the visit of the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, and other representatives of the presidency to Plateau State over the recent killings in parts of the state as a demonstration of the political will of the federal government to end mindless killings in the state and other parts of Nigeria.
Senator Plang, in a statement, said the visit of the Vice President to Bokkos and meeting with the Plateau State stakeholders, which include traditional rulers, development associations, and politicians, among others, will go a long way to douse tension over the unfortunate incident and further renew the hope of people in the administration.
“This is the first of its kind in recent time; this visit of the Vice President, Senator Shettima, will no doubt go a long way to douse tension. The visit is highly commendable and goes to show the determination of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to fight insecurity. Likewise, the presence of the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and other security top notchers at the stakeholders’ meeting,” he said.
Senator Plang also commended the Chief of Defense Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, Commander Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), and General Officer Commanding the 3rd Amoured Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General A.E. Abubakar, the police, DSS, and other security agencies for their swift response to stem the further spread of the unfortunate incident.
While calling for more concerted efforts, which include synergy and strategic intelligence, to arrest future occurrences of such dastardly acts, Senator Plang advocated for the establishment of permanent security posts or barracks in all the flash points in the state and local government areas sharing borders with neighboring states facing similar dilemmas.
He applauded the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for its prompt assessment of the situation and charged the agency to provide the basic amenities needed to alleviate the suffering of the victims.
“Also, efforts should be made to provide the victims with building materials to enable them to build their burned houses instead of leaving them to languish in the Internal Displaced People’s Camp.”
The federal lawmaker urged the government and security agencies to track, arrest, and prosecute the perpetrators and sponsors of the heinous crime against humanity.