A Plateau State security expert, Gershon Yamba, has accused Governor Caleb Mutfwang of failing to curb incessant attacks and killings in the state despite increased security spending running into billions of naira in the last six months.
Yamba, who made the assertion during a security symposium organised by the Plateau Security Forum in Jos on Sunday, also accused Mutfwang of failing to exercise his statutory and mandatory responsibility of protecting the lives and property of citizens.
Citing the recent violent attack on Bin-Per community in Mangu Local Government Area last Tuesday, in which no fewer than 25 people were killed and several houses and farmlands destroyed by terrorists, Yamba said it was a shame that such a level of carnage could be carried out in the governor’s home council.
He also lamented that despite the purported huge amounts spent on security by the government, more than 200 people had been killed by terrorists in different communities across the state since the beginning of the year.
“It is sad that under the watch of Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, we have had an unprecedented rise in violent attacks, killings and destruction of local communities in Plateau State, despite the huge amount of money spent on security in the past six months,” Yamba said.
“Just last week, a report revealed that in the past six months, Plateau State spent N23.69 billion to fight insecurity in the state, amounting to 9.39 per cent of the state’s allocation from the Federal Government.
“It is therefore worrying that despite the huge expenditure on security, our people are still being killed and displaced from their communities by terrorists.
“What do we make of that? It is glaring that this administration, under the watch of Governor Caleb Mutfwang, has failed to protect the people, which is his core and mandatory duty,” he stated.
Yamba also frowned at what he termed a rehashed press release issued by the government whenever attacks and violence occur in the state.
“We are really tired of the rehashed statements by the government whenever this violence occurs and our people are killed.
“The Ministry of Information and the governor’s spokespersons would always come up with the same rhetoric, promising to take decisive action. But after the speeches, that would be the end until the next cycle of attacks.
“Imagine what happened in Bin-Per in the governor’s home council. The community is a few kilometres from his own community, and yet the terrorists had a field day.
“Is that not a sign of failure? We have written several position papers and sent proposals to the government with suggestions on how insecurity should be handled.
“But because we are not in government or close to the corridors of power, no one listens to us,” Yamba said.
He, however, vowed not to be silent or cowed into keeping quiet in the face of the insecurity challenges in the state.
“We will not stop telling the truth to power or keep quiet while our people are being killed and our communities are ravaged by terrorists and bandits,” the security expert said.
