Jos massacre: Attackers studied residents — Mutfwang

By Seyi Babalola

Caleb Mutfwang, Governor of Plateau State, has revealed that the attackers in the recent deadly Jos massacre took advantage of the community’s sense of security, studying residents’ behaviour and mimicking National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) operations to strike unexpectedly, leaving both citizens and security forces unprepared.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, while addressing the circumstances surrounding the tragedy, he stated that the attackers had studied local behaviour patterns and disguised themselves to resemble NDLEA personnel, allowing them to inflict severe damage before fleeing.

The governor described the incident as “unfortunate and worrisome” but expressed confidence that it would be a one-off event.

“As a matter of fact, the community was blindsided. The security personnel were also caught off guard because of the relative peace we have enjoyed, particularly in the last 10 months to one year.

“So nobody envisaged this kind of thing, and people came out in their numbers as they usually do to relax on a Sunday evening,” he said.

“Obviously, the attackers had studied the psychology of the people, who are used to seeing operatives of the NDLEA who come to raid neighbouring communities in search of drug addicts and what have you. So they came in that manner, hooded, and were shooting in the same way as NDLEA officers operate.

“People initially assumed it was an NDLEA operation and did not resist, but when they realised what was happening, a lot of damage had already been done. By the time they began to respond, the attackers had already escaped,” he added.

“It’s quite unfortunate. It’s quite worrisome, having such an incident occur in the city centre, but we are confident that by God’s grace this will be a one-off event and not a recurring situation,” he said.