From Jude Owuamanam, Jos
Plateau State Governor, Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, on Friday carried out an assessment of the communities affected by the recent clashes in Mangu Local Government Area of the state.
Mutfwang, accompanied by heads of security agencies and top government functionaries, went round the affected communities, beginning with Kwahaslalek, a village where several lives were lost, and Mangu metropolis, where houses and sources of livelihood were destroyed.
Meanwhile the governor has relaxed the 24-hour curfew earlier imposed on the local government. The curfew will now be observed between 4pm and 8:00am daily until further notice.
A statement signed by the Director of Press and Public Affairs to the Governor, Gyang Bere, said the review followed an improvement in the security situation in the area after strategic engagements with community leaders across faiths and ethnic groups within the council.
Mutfwang said the curfew was relaxed following remarkable improvement in the security situation and after due consultation with the State Security Council.
He encouraged residence of Mangu to strictly observe the curfew and refrain from taking the law into their hands and urged security personnel to enforce the curfew to avoid breakdown of law and order.
The governor, who expressed gratitude for the cooperation received so far, urged the community to maintain collaboration with security agencies to ensure complete restoration of peace and order in the local government. He cautioned against complacency, emphasising that the state government remained resolute in preventing any act capable of disrupting public tranquility.
During his condolence visit to the Mishkaham Mwaghavul, HRH Da John Putmang Hirse, the governor commiserated with the bereaved families and the entire people of Mangu over the unfortunate incident.
He called for continuous dialogue between community leaders to resolve issues capable of causing division and violence among the residents, and assured them of the unwavering support of the government in that regard.
Governor Mutfwang described the carnage in Mangu as needless and urged the people to rise against crisis merchants head bent on recruiting innocent youths to unleash terror on the citizens for their personal gains.
“I want to assure the people of Mangu local government that the government of Plateau State will do all it can to ensure that external aggressors are kept away. We are going to also ensure that criminal elements in our midst are dealt with; we will no longer tolerate such activities.
“This is the time to preach forgiveness and unity. It is only when we do that, that we can be vigilant to ward off external forces that divide us and make sure they turn our attention from productive ventures to only crisis management. We must not allow that to continue.
“I want to appeal to everyone; if anyone ever thought of giving cover to any criminal, it is time to end that and expose them. It is time to love your brothers more than your friends who are criminals. I plead with us, particularly to the Mwaghavul nation, we have always held ourselves as brothers, even if we are of different faiths; we must not lose that sense of brotherhood,” he stated.
Governor Mutfwang explained that the government had set in motion machineries to checkmate the activities of drugs merchants, who were patronised by youths, to enable them carry out criminal activities in the state.
“Let me sound a word of warning to those who are making huge money from the sale of drugs and narcotics, we will come after you very soon because you cannot continue to destroy our young people and go free. By the grace of God, we will put up a strategic plan to contain the menace of drug addiction in the state,” he stated.
Mishkaham Mwaghavul, commended the governor for coming to sympathise with the people, and urged him to remain focused in spite of the deliberate attempt to distract him.
“In the past four days, we could not sleep; you have seen the massive destruction; there was no cause for it. A disagreement between two people now engulfs the whole local government.
“It is better to sit down and dialogue than taking laws into your hands. We have been living in peace, doing businesses together; we don’t know what brought about this. There is nothing more important like peace.”
He appealed to the governor to help the people to return home to continue with their businesses as that will foster a speedy recovery.
Mutfwang later held a meeting with some stakeholders in Bokkos Local Government Area led by the Transition Committee Chairman, Monday Kasam.
He also visited the internally-displaced persons who survived the recent attacks in the area, giving them hope that he was doing everything possible for them to return homes.