27th August, 2021
The Plateau State House of Assembly has asked residents in troubled areas in the state to take up arms and defend themselves.
Hundreds have been killed in the crisis engulfing several areas in Plateau State.
Chairman, House Committee on Information, Philip Dasun at a news conference on Friday said the Assembly sympathised with the government and people of Plateau State on the barbaric and dastardly killings that have been taking place in different communities of Bassa, Barkin Ladi, Bokkos, Jos North, Jos South, Mangu, Riyom, University of Jos Community and recently that of Yelwa Zangam.
He said the House condemned all these killings in totality, as they were not acceptable and condemnable.
“We commiserate with the families of all those who lost their loved ones during these attacks. We strongly call on Plateau people to practically stand up and defend themselves and their communities, as the conventional security design is no longer guaranteeing our safety as a people.
“We commend the youths on the Plateau for sustained coordinated and organized campaigns against the killings and as well the courage to make it go viral by sending strong messages to the world using the dead bodies of the mayhem on the social media and the streets of Jos; the display of the corpses in the House is a sign that they recognized the authority of the House of Assembly as an institution that can speak for the people. We greatly appreciate that action,” he said.
Dasun said as an assembly with people at heart, it called on Plateau State citizens to have confidence in the House with renewed commitment as they gave two weeks to Governor Samuel Ortom to take action on the resolutions the House forwarded on security matters and how to restore peace.
“We call on the Executive Governor of Plateau State, Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong, to come up with a statement defending us as a People and to bring back renewed commitment to the cause of Plateau,” he said.
According to Dasun, the Assembly is still expecting with high hopes that President Muhammadu Buhari would come up with a statement about the killings in Yelwa Zangam just as he did in 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,”