By Seyi Babalola
Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, and former Vice President, stated that assaults and loss of life can only be stopped if the Federal Government displays its ultimate commitment to eradicate threats by extending the security architecture.
The Chairman of Plateau State Community Peace Observers, Kefas Mallai, said around 150 people were slain by gunmen in the state’s Barikin Ladi and Bokkos Local Government Areas.
President Bola Tinubu denounced the attacks and ordered a manhunt for the perpetrators in a statement issued in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale.
While condoling with the government and the people of Plateau State, Tinubu assured Nigerians that “these envoys of death, pain, and sorrow will not escape justice.”
Also, the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, who was accompanied by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu visited the scene and assured that President Tinubu’s administration would not rest on its oars until victims of the gruesome attacks in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State get justice.
Reacting, the former Vice President in a statement by his media adviser, Paul Ibe on Sunday said random and incessant killings and maiming of scores of people across the country such that recently happened in Barikin Ladi and Bokkos Local Government Areas of Plateau State called for tougher action by the government in terms of prompt and proactive measures.
“Those attacks can be stemmed only when the government shows utmost determination to eliminate the threats by expanding the security architecture in the country and fast-tracking the arrest and prosecution of those involved in such dastardly acts to serve as a deterrent, Atiku stated.
He expressed concern about the frequency of these attacks on innocent people by outlaws, noting that under no circumstances should murderous criminal groups be allowed to take life without immediate consequences from the government.
According to Atiku, “the rate at which innocent people are being massacred in Plateau, Kaduna, Zamfara and other areas plagued by insecurity is embarrassing, adding that “only prompt and decisive action by the government can halt this madness.”
He observed that the calls for state police stem from the growing frustration with the government’s seeming helplessness to crush these outlaws.
The statement read in part “The spate of these attacks is also a sad testimonial to decadence in the judiciary because a situation where criminals are set free by the court without diligent trials is capable of dampening the morale of law enforcement officers and other security agencies.
“Atiku warned that abandoning the people to their own fate in the face of existential threats is not an option because protecting the lives and property of the citizens is a primary responsibility of governments anywhere in the world.
“But for his absence, the former Vice President would have visited Plateau to emphasise with the people of the affected communities. He, however, prays for the repose of the souls of the deceased, stressing that no resource should be spared in taking care of the maimed and displaced.”
