Plateau State Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang has described the deadly attack on Bin Mper community in Mangu Local Government Area as an attack on him, vowing that his administration will not allow residents to be driven from their ancestral land.
Mutfwang made the declaration on Thursday when he visited the community in Kombun District to condole with families of victims of the August 18 attack, which claimed lives and left several others injured.
“This is not an attack on the community alone; it is an attack on me,” the governor told the grieving residents.
He assured them that the government would do everything within its powers to protect their lives and property, adding: “Nobody will take over your land.”
The governor said the Police had informed him that some persons had been arrested in connection with the attack, promising that the government would follow the matter to its logical conclusion.
He described the incident as barbaric, senseless and unacceptable, expressing deep pain over the loss of innocent lives and assuring the affected families that government would remain with them during the period of grief.
Mutfwang said his administration would adopt additional strategies and strengthen existing security measures to protect vulnerable communities and prevent a recurrence of the attacks.
He said the incident occurred at a time the state government had reviewed its security architecture in collaboration with security agencies, including the new General Officer Commanding, 3 Division, Nigerian Army, with renewed emphasis on protecting lives and property.
The governor called for more proactive, intelligence-driven and coordinated security operations, stressing that attacks must be prevented rather than responded to after lives had been lost.
He also commended Plateau youths for their resilience and support for efforts to protect their communities, urging them to remain peaceful, vigilant and law-abiding while working with security agencies.
Mutfwang later visited the Mishkagham Mwaghavul, His Royal Highness Da. John Putmang Hirse, where he condoled with the traditional ruler and the entire Mwaghavul Nation over the attack.
He assured the traditional ruler that he would not let the people down, reiterating his administration’s resolve to confront banditry and other forms of criminality threatening communities across the state.
Responding, Da. Putmang Hirse described the attack as senseless and deliberate, saying the community had lived peacefully with its neighbours before the incident.
“This is something we least expected. People were asleep when they were massacred. Mangu is one of the most peaceful Local Government Areas. We live peacefully with our neighbours and accommodate visitors, yet we were attacked,” he said.
The traditional ruler assured that the Mwaghavul people would remain resilient and law-abiding, insisting that the attack would not force them to abandon their ancestral land.
Also speaking, President of the Mwaghavul Development Association Women’s Wing, Mrs Grace Joseph Gora, appealed to residents, particularly women, to remain calm and support efforts by the government and security agencies to restore peace.
The governor’s visit came amid renewed concern over the security of vulnerable communities in Mangu, with the latest attack putting fresh pressure on security agencies and the state government to translate security reviews and assurances into effective protection on the ground.
Mutfwang was accompanied by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement, Dr Abiodun Esiet, senior government officials and heads of security agencies in the state.
