From Jude Owuamanam, Jos
In the midst of rising insecurity in Plateau State following strident incidents of killings, which predated his administration, Governor Caleb Mutfwang has put in strategies to curtail the rampant clashes between herders and farmers in the state, especially in the Barkin Ladi, Bassa, Bokkos, Mangu and Riyom, which have become theatres of war.
After the March 18 governorship election in which he won and a few days before his inauguration on May 29, rampaging gunmen in April invaded his home local government area of Mangu, killing scores of people, wounding many others and sending thousands to camps as internally displaced persons.
As former Governor Simon Lalong battled to contain the crisis and its aftermaths, this became a litmus test for the incumbent Caleb Mutfwang administration.
With a series of attacks and killings since then, Mutfwang has become undeterred and committed to finding a lasting solution to the perennial crisis in Nigeria’s North central state of Plateau. However, the various court cases, which culminated in his final victory became his albatross.
His first approach on assumption of office was forging a strong synergy with the security agencies in the state, especially that police and the Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), the internal security outfit set up to protect lives and property of citizens of Plateau and the contiguous states. The governor has also been making various stakeholders in the peace process in the state and each group proffered solutions on how to bring the endemic crisis to an end. In one of such engagements with the Muslim community, the Emir of Wase, Mohammed Sambo Haruna, urged him to introduce some tax on cattle to identify the true cattle herders in the state.
At every engagement with security agencies, Mutfwang did not fail to remind the military and other security agencies that the onus on arresting the carnage on the Plateau rested on a strong inter-agency cooperation and the vigilance of all the security agencies with collaboration and cooperation of the citizens. With this, Mutfwang was able to restore confidence in the military that he’s always standing by them. Apart from this, the governor has, through many ways, shown his determination to nip every crisis in the bud.
Strengthening of the State Security Outfit: Operation Rainbow
Plateau State’s internal security outfit, Operation Rainbow, was set up by the Governor Jonah Jang administration to strengthen the capacity of other security agencies. Since its inception, the security outfit appeared moribund due largely to underfunding and accusation that it’s being used to intimidate other tribes in the state. Governor Simon Lalong tried to revitalise it by appointing a retired police officer, AIG Dapub Makama (rtd), to head it. However, the outfit was bugged by internal bureaucracy.
However, with his taking over the reins of power, Mutfwang has moved to erase all misconceptions about Operation Rainbow by making staffing and recruitment of security personnel all inclusive. The first step was in the appointment of a retired general as his special adviser on security. Gen Garkji Shipi.
To fortify the operations of the outfit, Mutfwang has recruited 600 vigilantes to strengthen its internal security operations.
The vigilantes, according to AIG Dapub Makama (rtd), were recruited from their localities to serve as first line defence and to provide early warning signals in case of threat to peace and security.
Speaking at the rehearsal to herald their passing out ceremony in Jos,, the commander said that the choice of the vigilantes were part of strategic plans to strengthen the activities of Operation Rainbow and make the security outfit more effective.
He said that the recruits were the first batch in the series of vigilantes to be employed by the security outfit, stressing that the first batch were chosen from the five local government areas being the theatre of crisis in the state.
Makama said, “The Operation Rainbow is an internal security arrangement created and approved by the Federal Government with the enabling laws from House of Assembly. What we are doing now is to strengthen and enlarge its operations by recruiting vigilantes.
“This first set of recruits were chosen from Mangu, 200; Barakin Ladi, 100; Bokkos, Riyom, and Bassa 100, respectively, making them 600. This is part of the promise by the Caleb Mutfwang led administration to revamp the operations of Operation Rainbow and make the outfit responsive to respond to emergency situations in the state.
“The decision to start from these local government areas is strategic because they are the most affected by the crisis. The selection will continue until all the 17 local government areas are covered.
Special Adviser on Security to Plateau State Governor, Brig. Gen Gakji Shipi, dispelled the anxiety of the people that the vigilantes were recruited for reasons other than for the peace and security of the state.
According to him, the choice of the vigilantes was deliberate because they were those from their local communities who had been acting voluntarily as vigilantes and hunters and the idea was to employ them formally and integrate them into the security arrangements of Operation Rainbow.
He said that for logistics and financial reasons, it was difficult to take the whole 17 local government areas in one swoop and it was decided to start from the most crisis- endemic local government areas in the first batch while the remaining 12 local government areas will be taken care of in the next recruitment exercise.
Gen. Shipi said, “There is no reason for other local government areas to be apprehensive. The first reaction was as a result of loopholes in information dissemination.
“It’s better to reach out to each other and seek clarification. When there are no clarifications from the government, then you know that something is amiss.
“It’s important to state that the first batch from the five local government areas were recruited because they’re the most affected by the crises in the state. The remaining 12 will be taken care of in the next exercise.
“It was also a deliberate decision to give priority to youth volunteering at community levels either as vigilantes or hunters and who know more about the nooks and crannies of their localities to provide early warning signals. After that, we then picked other able-bodied youths from the communities.
“Mangu, being the epicenter, was allotted the highest number of recruits, followed by the other four local government areas because of their peculiar circumstances,” he added, stressing that apart from assisting in the security arrangements, it was also a way of creating employment.
With the recruitment of the vigilantes, Shipi said that for effective monitoring of their activities, all local government areas will have area offices of Operation Rainbow.
Donation of 34 Hilux vehicles
Also in a strategic move to bolster the security landscape, Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang officially commissioned 34 Hilux vehicles aimed at reinforcing community vigilance. According to him, the vehicles were procured through the collaborative efforts of the 17 Local Government Transition Implementation Committee Chairmen, as part of efforts to ensure a seamless deployment of security personnel across the Local Government Areas.
At the commissioning ceremony held at the Old Government House, Rayfield, Jos, Mutfwang reiterated his administration’s unwavering commitment to fortify the security of lives and property, with a particular focus on rural communities within the state. The governor emphasized the paramount importance of security as the foundation for any meaning development,
“This marks the initiation of our commitment to reshape the security architecture on the Plateau. The state government will soon introduce additional measures to support security agencies in effectively executing their duties statewide.”
In reassuring the citizens of Plateau State, Governor Mutfwang pledged, “Rest assured, we are actively working to fulfill our constitutional responsibility of safeguarding lives and property. Our determination knows no bounds, and we will continue striving to ensure effective discharge of this duty.”
The governor extended his gratitude to the council chairmen for pooling resources to enhance the well-being of the citizens and encouraged them to intensify their efforts in the best interest of the people.
Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ephraim Usman, while presenting the security vehicles to the governor, said the gesture is aimed at assisting security personnel to respond promptly to security challenges within their respective Local Government Areas. He appealed to the people to identify those who are bent on dividing them.
He said, “I want to therefore appeal to our youths particularly, please and please and please.
We must not take the laws into our hands and allow people to use us to destroy ourselves.
“And I can imagine what it will take to build, to rebuild the houses that have been born, the places of worship that have been burnt. I can imagine what it will take us to recover from this but the path to recovery is to realize that we have made a mistake and allowed people who should not be to come between us.
“I want to appeal to everyone that if anyone is giving cover to any criminal, 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 faith, we must not lose that sense of brotherhood.
“I urge all the leaders in the various communities to rise up to the occasion and let’s put on the cup of leadership and call everyone to the discussion table.
We must go back to the discussion table and see how best we can live with one another in peace , if anyone has wronged the other, we must find it in our hearts to forgive.
“This is the time to preach forgiveness, preach unity and it is only when we do that, that we can be vigilant for the external forces that are coming to divide us and to make sure they turn our attention from productive ventures to only crisis management.
We must not allow that to happen.
“I’ll be working with the local government chairman and the Mishkaham Mwaghavul to make sure that we get to the root of this matter and put an end to it because we cannot continue with this cycle of violence.
“And 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’re going to also ensure that criminal elements in our midst are dealt with and we will no longer tolerate it.”
The commissioner sounded a note of warning to those who are making huge money from the sale of drugs and urged leaders of various communities to fish them out for punishment.
Visiting trouble spots
Mutfwang has also been troubleshooting to ensure that peace returns to trouble spots. In one of such visits to Mangu, Mutfwang not only commiserated with the people but also gave them hope about the return of peace to their locality so that those internally displaced could return to their abode.
He expressed dismay at the degree of carnage and empathized with the people. At the palace of the Mishkaham Mwaghavul, Mutfwang said, “I have come this afternoon after going around some of the places where the attacks took place. We have come to commiserate with the father of the land, the man who would receive all the condolences on behalf of the families that have been affected by this needless carnage that has taken place over the last couple of days.
“I’ve gone to some of the places we first stopped at Qwahaslalek and I couldn’t believe that human beings can be so callous that you roast human beings like animals. And as I thought through the way and mana, the 27 people in that village died. I can imagine what they went through.
“And it is unbelievable that we have lost our humanity. It’s painful and the way the merchants of conflict are trying to package this crisis to make it look like a fight between brothers. It’s unfortunate. Mangu has always been a place of peace, Mangu has always been a place of refuge for people who have found themselves in trouble in their communities so that whenever they come to Mangu, they feel safe. It is unfortunate that there are people who are deliberately bent on making sure that the economy of Mangu is destroyed.”
According to a stalwart of the Peoples Democracy Party, Nde Isaac Wadak, the governor has raised the bar in restoring peace on the Plateau. He said, “if the governor raises and sustains the tempo, he will go down in history as the only governor that restored peace to the Plateau. And he has every opportunity to do so now that the court issues hanging on his neck as the swords of damocles have been settled.”