Following suspicion of connivance, the Plateau State Governor, Mr Caleb Mutfwang, has condemned in strong terms what he described as ‘the failure’ of the military to safeguard communities facing incessant attacks by bandits.
The Governor who stated this during a visit to Riyom Local Government Area, where 27 persons were brutally killed recently, expressed serious concern over the activities of military personnel deployed to the areas.
Accordingly, Governor Mutfwang demanded the total withdrawal of military deployed to tackle the attacks by bandits and replaced with the personnel of the Mobile Police Force to cover the affected communities.
Mutfwang particularly blamed security personnel for failing to apprehend the perpetrators despite the fact that there is a checkpoint few meters from the scene of the attacks.
In a statement on Saturday, July 19, 2025, Prof. Chris Kwaja, Special Envoy on Peace and Security to the Plateau Governor, noted that the presence of soldiers has not yielded any positive result against the backdrop of the continued attacks and killings of innocent civilians.
The State Government therefore called for the deployment of Mobile Police Force, whom the government said are better equipped to tackle insecurity and restore sanity in the region.
Kwaja stated; “During the Tuesday night attack, the security forces, especially the Operation Safe Haven, a security tasks force maintaining peace in the state, failed to foil the attack despite their presence in the area.
“The attack was avoidable, given the early warning signs and intelligence reports,” he said.
Kwaja specifically called on the Federal Government to as a matter importance and priority, consider the immediate withdrawal of all military personnel deployed in flashpoints in the State and replace them with Mobile Police Squads to ensure normalcy in the affected communities.
The State Government stressed that the change in approach was necessary to ensure a more effective and responsive security strategy.
