Jos Attack: Venue of Tinubu’s meeting not as important as visit’s substance — Mutfwang
Gov. Mutfwang
By Juliet Umeh
Governor of Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwang, has said the venue of President Bola Tinubu’s meeting with the people of Jos over the recent killings was not as important as the substance of the meeting.
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The governor said Tinubu showed concern, and that was what mattered. Mutfwang said this during on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Friday.
Dismissing criticisms over the logistics of President Tinubu’s visit to the state, he said: “The venue is not as important as the substance.
“The President came, met with the people, and demonstrated concern. That is what matters.”
He described the incident as “quite challenging,” noting that it marked a disturbing shift from previous attacks largely confined to rural communities.
Also, Mutfwang said no arrests had been made, but assured that security agencies were working with “actionable intelligence” to apprehend the perpetrators.
The attack occurred on Sunday, March 29, at a busy junction in Jos. It left no fewer than 28 people dead, including students and staff of the University of Jos, UNIJOS, raising fresh concerns about security in Plateau State.
Gunmen were ‘professionals’ – Gov Mutfwang
On how the attack unfolded, the governor said: “The community was blindsided. The security personnel were blindsided. Because of the relative peace we have enjoyed, nobody envisaged this kind of thing.
“They came hooded and were shooting in the manner operatives of NDLEA usually do.
“So people took it for granted initially, thinking it was a routine operation. By the time they realised it, a lot of damage had been done.”
On the nature of the Jos attack, Mutfwang described it as premeditated and professionally executed.
“The initial assessment indicates that the attackers knew their onions in terms of marksmanship. The shots were not ordinary.
“This was premeditated, well-orchestrated, and deliberately structured to create fear,” he stated.
While acknowledging suspicions about the identities and motives of the attackers, he cautioned against premature conclusions.
“We have our suspicions, but we would rather keep them until the security agencies have done their work. It would be irresponsible to make conjectures at this stage,” he said.
The governor also referenced a separate incident in Wase Local Government Area, where security personnel were ambushed.
“It was actually an ambush by bandits on a contingent of security personnel on lawful duty, leading to the death of about three officers and other men,” he said.