Plateau assailants are flying bandits from northeastern, western States – Report says

By Kingsley Chukwuka

As the Nigerian military intensifies its offensive on bandits’ camps in some northeastern and northwestern States, the bandits, terrorists have been fleeing into neighboring States for safety.

Most of them have thronged Plateau State in resent past, igniting tension with alarm raised by Local Government Chairmen of targeted LGAs on impending attacks.

Governor Simon Lalong, though by nomenclature, the Chief Security Officer of the State, in swift reactions to the several alarm raised, holds emergency security meetings with service chiefs, charging them to cordoned off the flash points fingered as targets by the invaders.

Some of the evidence that the bandits have invaded Plateau as gathered by our reporter, are large numbers of gunmen looking frightened with so much audacity.

“Most of the gunmen burgled into villagers’ houses and shops looting food items, robbing vehicles and seizing fuel to refill their motorbikes”, eyewitnesses say.

However, the Special Military Task Force in Plateau, headed by Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Ali, had in the month of March led troops to Kanam local government area of the State while acting on security report to dislodge the fleeing bandits from finding a safe haven in the LGA.

Our correspondent had reported that while carrying out the operation, the taskforce lost two soldiers in the process.

However, last Sunday, the assailants regrouped from an obscure location in Kanam LGA and claimed lives numbering over 100, with properties destroyed.

Responding, security operatives under the watch of the Special Task Force (STF), moved in to repel the gunmen and restored normalcy, pledging that those behind the act must be caught and dealt with.

Also, Lalong while reacting to the terrorist attacks condemned the irresponsible act and vowed that those behind it will be made to pay a heavy price.

Lalong expressed deep regrets over the dastardly act saying he has directed security forces to dominate the area after their initial response which put a stop to the carnage.

He also charged them to go after the fleeing terrorists and ensure that they pay for their crimes.

“Plateau State will never be used as a safe haven for terrorists to set up camps and use same to wreak havoc on communities and innocent citizens in the State and elsewhere”.

Lalong said the State Security Council has adopted far reaching measures to strengthen all security measures and enhance the capacity of the security agencies to respond to all situations that cause a breach of the peace in any part of the State.