Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State has appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun to caution Nigeria Police personnel against partisanship in order to restore confidence on the Force.
The Governor who made the submission when he appeared on Kakaaki AIT breakfast show on Thursday, lamented alleged involvement of some police officers in Plateau political crisis.
He urged aggrieved politicians and stakeholders in the 2023 election that brought him to power to seek redress in court, instead of resorting to violence.
Mutfwang admitted however that if there are political disagreements, the courts are there to deal with these disagreements.
“Therefore, we are calling on the IGP to call his men on ground to always give the right information and be apolitical when these political arise.
“I advice the police leadership to stay aside from politics. Even if there are political disagreements, the courts are there to deal with these disagreements. Steps must not be taken to stop that show of partisanship by the police hierarchy.
“We need the forces.
Some of the policemen manning the local governments could have been better deployed to deal with this insurgency.
EXCERPTS FROM MUTFWANG’S INTERVIEW BE LOW:
How the crisis and killings began
“Right after my inauguration, things have deteriorated to a large extent. When you noticed the epicentre of these insurgents is concentrated on the Local government where Income from and where my deputy comes from. So, you begin to ask whether it is a response to our emergence as Governor and Deputy.
“The interpretation a lot of people are giving to it, a lot of criminality has come into play. What we are seeing is a clear genocide. This is a deliberate and orchestrated plan to wipe out a number of people.
Efforts by security agencies to end insecurity in Plateau
“I want to thank the security forces. To a large extent, they have done a lot. But, I want to say that they have done a lot and that they can still do a lot more. With the right kind of leadership and mobilization, I believe that the security agencies can do a lot better. The traditional belief is that this is famers/herders clashes. But, that is not the reality.
“A situation where people are sleeping in their villages and at night, they are attacked. The questions that need to be asked are who are the people that need to be attacked, where are they coming from? Who sent for them. Who are the real leaders behind this insurgency?
“We have intelligence that we are putting at the disposal of the security agencies, and we are confident that with the new change of guard in the security arrangements in the Country, I believe that we will be able to get some milage in putting this ugly phase behind us.
“We will be engaging with community leaders to bridge bridges and restore understanding so that no part of any community is vulnerable because of disagreement or misunderstanding.
“I am going to look after the security and welfare of everyone in Plateau State. What we are looking at is a challenge that is beyond religion or tribe.
“We must see this as a collective duty to preserve Plateau State. It cannot be done by the Government alone. Every strata of leadership in the various Communities must arise so that we can have a common buffer against these insurgents and attackers.
Early warning signs before the killings spree in Plateau
“We got notice of these attacks before they came and of course what we normally would do is to turn them all over to the security agencies. Again, we have a lot of ungoverned spaces, farmlands that are lying fallows and mountainous areas.
It is difficult for the security agencies to cover all those fields. But, when we turn over the intelligence to them, sometimes, due to operational reasons, they may come a little bit late.
“They may come in inadequate, ill-prepared. Therefore, it has been challenging. Some of the field officers have done much within the constraints of the facilities that are available to them, the Governor said.
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