The Plateau State Government has condemned the failure of the military to safeguard communities facing incessant attacks by bandits.
The government has a result called for the deployment of mobile police personnel in the affected communities.
The state government also expressed concern over the activities of military personnel in the areas following recent attacks on villages in Riyom Local Government Area, where 27 persons were killed.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang had during a visit to the affected communities on Wednesday, blamed security personnel for failing to apprehend the perpetrators despite a checkpoint few meters from the scene of the attacks.
Also commenting on the development in a statement on Saturday, Prof. Chris Kwaja, Special Envoy on Peace and Security to the Governor, observed that the presence of soldiers has not yielded positive results with the continued attacks and killings of innocent civilians.
Kwaja called for the deployment of mobile policemen, whom the government believes are better equipped to tackle insecurity and restore sanity in the region.
Kwaja noted, “During the Tuesday night attack, the security forces, especially the Operation Safe Haven, a security tasks force maintaining peace in the state, failed to foil the attack despite their presence in the area.
“The attack was avoidable, given the early warning signs and intelligence reports.”
He said that the Federal Government should, as a matter of priority, consider withdrawing all military personnel deployed in flashpoints and replace them with Mobile Police Squads in order to ensure normalcy in the affected communities.
He opined that the change in approach is necessary to ensure a more effective and responsive security strategy.
