Visit Plateau Attacks Victims, PDP Tells Tinubu

The Peoples Democratic Party has called on President Bola Tinubu to visit the scene of the Christmas Eve killing of Nigerians by gunmen in Bokkos and Barkin Ladi communities of Plateau State.

The PUNCH reports that the Chairman of Community Peace Observers in the Bokkos Local Government Area, Plateau State, Kefas Mallai, disclosed that over 150 were killed by the gunmen.

Tinubu, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, on Tuesday, condemned the attacks and ordered a manhunt for the killers.

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.”

Reacting, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, in a statement on Friday queried what was responsible for the failure of intelligence before and during the coordinated killing.

The PDP said, “Of further concern is that Nigerians are also raising issues on these apprehensions by referring to the statement attributed to former military Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, on the possibility of complicity by officials of a government in unrestrained insurgency or crisis such as witnessed in the Plateau State massacre.”

The opposition party charged Tinubu to allay fears and concerns on the above by immediately visiting the affected communities and personally addressing the nation on concrete steps to track down the perpetrators and their sponsors.

The statement read in part, “It smacks of grave insensitivity and dereliction of duty for Mr. President as the Commander-in-Chief to remain silent in the face of the targeted massacre of his citizens without defence and assistance. The President even failed to play his expected role as Consoler-in-Chief by not immediately visiting the troubled areas to demonstrate leadership, empathy, and connection with the citizens.

“Instead of sending his aides to issue lame statements and detailing surrogates to visit after much prodding, President Tinubu should have as a matter of duty personally visited the scene of the genocide to give succour to the families of the dead and the wounded as well as reassure that his government is with the people of the affected communities in particular and Plateau State in general.”