The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has said more troops and equipment are on the way to tackle the insecurity crisis in Plateau State.
This came after terrorists, on Christmas Eve, attacked over 20 communities in the state and killed over 100 persons.
Speaking on Channels Television on Sunday night, Lagbaja said the troops would arrive in the state either on Sunday night or Monday morning.
He said, “I have reeled out our plans for 2024 for Plateau State. The troops that we are deploying to Plateau, are on their way to Plateau now.
“This night or first light tomorrow, they should be on the Plateau. We are sending more equipment to enhance the efficiency of the troops.”
Reacting to the reports of renewed attacks in the state, the Army Chief stated that he did not get such a report when he visited on Sunday.
He recalled situations where a local government chairman and some residents raised false alarms.
Lagbaja said, “The GOC brought up a situation where a chairman of a local government alleged that two communities were under attack and he sent troops there and it turned out to be false.
“Troops have received false alarms and so many other reports that are not true. I just came back from Plateau, I did not get the report of a renewed attack from anywhere. ”
Lagbaja, however, faulted calls in some quarters for Plateau State residents to bear firearms, noting that doing so could lead to anarchy.
He said, “I do not support that. I think that is a call for anarchy. The Nigerian Army is the peoples’ Army. It is organised, equipped, and funded with people’s funds. When we have a situation where people freely use arms, then it becomes a lawless state.
“I must tell you unequivocally that the military is equal to the task on the Plateau. What happened was a political, wrongly managed conflict that snowballed on Christmas Day, and we are working to address it going forward. ”
He assured all that the Army would intensify efforts to ensure peace returns to troubled parts of the country in 2024.
“In 2024, I am promising Nigerians that troops will redouble their efforts and we will expand the frontiers of peace and stability across the country, ” Lagbaja said.
PUNCH Online reports that Lagbaja; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Hassan Abubakar and Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, as well as Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle; and the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, landed in Jos, Plateau State capital, and are expected to visit affected areas of Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi communities where bandits had attacked and killed over 100 people on Christmas Day.
Their visit to the scene of the attack is coming a day after the Senate had summoned them, following a motion of urgent importance moved by Senator Diket Plang, (APC, Plateau Central), over the killings.
Apart from the military heads, the Red Chamber also invited the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Yusuf Bichi; and the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
The gunmen had stormed Ndun, Ngyong, Murfet, Makundary, Tamiso, Chiang, Tahore, Gawarba, Dares, Meyenga, Darwat, and Butura Kampani villages in the Barkin-Ladi, Mangu and Bokkos areas of the Plateau State, where they burnt houses and shot residents.
