Obi Visits Plateau Attacks Victims, Police Ban ‘Crossover’ Service
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the February 25 election, Peter Obi, on Saturday, visited Plateau State.
The attacks, which affected Bokkos, Mangu and Barkin-Ladi Local Government Areas, also left property worth millions of naira destroyed.
Obi, who arrived in Bokkos around 4 p.m. was said to have moved straight to the camps of the Internally Displaced Persons in the area.
He was received by the Local Government Chairman, Monday Kassam.
The chairman of Community Peace Observers in the LGA, Kefas Mallai, who confirmed Obi’s visit to the attack victims in Bokkos LGA said, “Peter Obi just visited IDP camps in Bokkos. He arrived at about 4 p.m. today (Saturday), December 30, 2023.”
After observing a minute of silence, he condoled the Internally Displaced Persons in the camps and promised to send N10 million into the IDP support account as managed by a committee set up by TIC Chairman, Bokkos LG.
“Obi also promised to talk with other partners to send in support into the IDP account as well as pray for the peace of Bokkos that the ugly incident does not occur again,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Plateau State Police Command on Saturday said it had deployed more personnel to provide security in Bokkos and other troubled LGs in the state.
The spokesman for the command, Alabo Alfred, who disclosed this in a statement on Saturday said the action complied with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police after visiting the state to assess the situation of things.
The statement read, “Sequel to the visit of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, yesterday, December 29, 2023 to Plateau State in the wake of the deadly attacks in Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi Local Government Areas of the state which claimed many lives and resulted in destruction of property, the Plateau State Police Command has deployed more special armed police forces to the troubled areas to prevent further attacks and restore normalcy.
“The deployment is in line with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police who provided additional manpower and resources to the state to augment the operational strength of the command to manage the ugly situation and provide safety for residents of the affected areas.
“As part of measures to protect lives and property in the affected areas, the Commissioner of Police, Plateau State Command, CP Okoro Alawari, has placed a ban on all forms of late-night spiritual and social gathering in Bokkos, Barkin-Ladi, Riyom and Mangu LGAs.
“The CP emphasised that all ‘Cross Over to New Year’ programmes should be rescheduled to hold at early hours of dusk, not to exceed 7 p.m. of the night.”
“The CP assured the good people of the state that the Plateau State Police Command is committed to full implementation of the IGP’s directives to apprehend the perpetrators of the dastardly act, provide safety to residents of the troubled areas, and restore peace and tranquility in those areas.
“The Plateau State Police helmsman also appealed to members of the public to support, cooperate with and assist the Police with timely and useful information to tackle the menace.
“He further tasked all police operatives deployed to the affected areas to demonstrate valour and professionalism while discharging their constitutional duties, and work in synergy with other security agencies to restore peace and order in their respective areas of assignment,” the statement added.
