In what appears to be a declaration of a state of emergency through the backdoor, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday ordered the chief of defence staff, Air Chief Marshall Oluseyi Petinrin, to take absolute control of the security situation in Plateau State.
The president, who directed the army chief to “take all necessary actions to stop the recent spate of killings” on the Plateau, has also summoned the state governor, Chief Jonah Jang, to a meeting at the presidential villa, Abuja, today.
According to Jonathan, the directive was his own way of keeping with his avowed resolve to ensure security of life and property across the country.
A statement by his special adviser on media and publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, noted that the president took the action following a meeting of the National Security Council and has “also directed the secretary to the government of the federation, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, to bring up all pending reports by committees recently set up by the federal government on the Plateau for immediate review and implementation”.
Part of the statement made available to LEADERSHIP reads: “President Jonathan, who is scheduled to meet with the Plateau State governor, Chief Jonah Jang, tomorrow, further directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to take prompt action to address the plight of internally displaced persons in Plateau State.
“He renewed his call on parties involved in the crises in Plateau State to embrace tolerance, dialogue and compromise to ensure the success of ongoing efforts to achieve a lasting resolution of their differences.”
In a related development, the Plateau State government has welcomed the deployment of the troops to the state by the president.
Speaking in a telephone conversation with LEADERSHIP, the Special Adviser on Media to the governor, Pam Ayuba, noted that the president means well for the indegenes, adding that the state government will support any move by the federal government to resolve the crisis.
Meanwhile, despite the twin bomb explosions that rocked a relaxation joint at West of Mines on Sunday evening, many other spots were open for business yesterday; fresh fish and roasted chicken were displayed in some shops like the BTO joint in the area.
A victim, Miss Sarah Jacob, who sells fish at the evening relaxation centre, said a man with tribal marks on his face had approached her and asked for the price of the fish. “Before I finished telling him the prices, he removed a handset from his pocket and started making calls and left immediately. The next I knew, there were people hovering over me and I heard different noises. Initially, I didn’t know what had happened until somebody told me that it was an explosion. Thank God I sustained some minor injury,” she said.
Also, one Samuel Kwamkur, who was around the area and heard a loud sound, lamented that the issue has become a global affair. He called on the federal government to expedite action by inviting some foreign experts who would come and assist in detecting and disposing of the explosives whenever there are threats.
The public relations officer of the Plateau State Police command, ASP Apev Jacob, confirmed that there was an explosion around West of Mines at about 8:30pm. He warned the general public against rushing to the scene of any explosion whenever it occurs because it could be dangerous: “One can easily get injured or killed because you may not know whether there is one that did not go off.”
He urged the people of the state to be cautious and always report any suspicious movement to the security agents.
Meanwhile, President Jonathan said in a chat last night that coercive law enforcement will not solve the Plateau crisis, adding that inhabitants must be carried along and agree to live in peace.
He also assured Nigerians of improved electricity supply, while encouraging states and private sector to get involved in the power sector.