Jos killings: Plateau Assembly Gives Lalong Two Weeks To Restore Peace
Plateau State House of Assembly yesterday told Governor Simon Lalong to find an immediate solution to the recurring killings in the state and restore peace accordingly.
It also asked the local governments, traditional rulers and community leaders to brace up and defend the people from further killings.
Announcing its decisions on the security crisis in the state, which was sparked by the August 14th murder of 22 travellers on Rukuba Road, Jos by some youths, the state assembly said it has given the governor two weeks to take action on its resolutions on security matters in the state and how to restore peace.
Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Mr. Dasun Peter, told reporters in Jos that the legislature wanted Governor Lalong to “come up with a statement defending us as a people and to bring back renewed commitment to the cause of Plateau.”
The legislators deplored the killings in Bassa, Barkin Ladi, Bokkos, Jos North, Jos South, Mangu, Riyom, University of Jos and Yelwa Zangam and declared them unacceptable and condemnable.
They asked the people of the state to defend themselves from further attacks.
Continuing, Dasun Peter said: “We are still expecting, with high hopes, the President to also come up with a statement about the killings in Yelwa Zangam just as he did on the killings of travelers along Rukuba Road, and to also indicate a sign of justice or we will see him as being reflexive about the conflict in Plateau.”
The Assembly said traditional rulers should reinforce their community vigilance/hunters groups to defend the people.
It said: “As a sign of commitment to this urgent need for the people to protect themselves, the Plateau State House of Assembly has directed all local government chairmen to suspend their planned recruitment of ad hoc staff and instead recruit 200 vigilance personnel in each local government area to boost and augment local intelligence gathering.”
It called for the arrest and prosecution of the brains behind the killings.
