The Governor of Plateau State, Barrister Caleb Mutfwang has said he did not become governor of the state to preside over burial ceremonies.
The governor stated this in his address to the leadership and members of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Plateau State Chapter and heads of denominations during a solemn peace walk to register their displeasure over the incessant killings in the state on Monday.
Dressed in full black attires, the Church leaders and their members walked about 4km from PRTV roundabout to the Plateau State new Government House, little Rayfield Jos to register their grievances and submit their 10 points demands for peace to the Nigeria President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu through the governor.
The governor while appreciating the peaceful disposition of the Christian community even in the wake of the unprovoked coordinated attacks, assured them that the state government is working with the president to see to an end of the over two decades killings in the state.
” I have told you before, that I didn’t come as a governor to preside over burial ceremonies. So by the grace of God we will move from the book of Lamentations to the book of Acts.
“We would not sit back and watch our people slaughtered. By the help of God we would do all that it takes to ensure that this carnage is stopped. We would do all that we can, to ensure that our land is secured.
“By the grace of God, the blood of the people that had been shed will not be in vain. It will continue to cry for justice, and we would not allow this to continue ” he emphasized.
He assured the mourning crowd that he will visit President Tinubu to transmit their demands to him. He appealed for sustained prayer for peace in the nation. He also called for forgiveness and unity, appealing to them not to allow hatred or bitterness to consume their hearts.
Earlier, the President of Evangelical Church Winning All, ECWA, Rev. Stephen Panya Baba, who read the text of their address to the President on behalf of CAN Chairman, outlined Ten demands to the Commander in Chief of the Arm Forces of the nation, calling for immediate actions.
Among the demands are calls for an end to what they described as sustained attacks and killings on the Plateau and in Nigeria and for the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to as a matter of urgency, initiate the process of officially proscribing the suspected Fulani armed terrorists responsible for the mindless killings.
“They should be officially designated as terrorists. This will give the military the power to fully engage them as provided in the Terrorism Act of 2022. It is on record that in 2015, the Global Terrorism index (GTI) named the armed Fulani
militias as the fourth deadliest terror group in the world.
“Nigeria must urgently act and treat them as such while also engaging other West African countries, through ECOWAS, to do the same thing. A regional approach, consensus and action have become extremely imperative to deal with the menace of the Fulani militias.
“We call for timely intervention in the provision of emergency relief in terms of food, water, toiletries, sleeping materials and other such necessities. We appreciate the directive given by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to relevant Federal government agencies such as NEMA to mobilise and provide succour to the victims.
“We also commend the great effort of His Excellency, Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang in not only outrightly condemning the attack, but also taking urgent concrete steps in providing food and other necessities to the displaced survivors in the {DP camps.
“We strongly appeal to the Federal Government to establish the North Central Development Commission (NCDC). This has become necessary following the frequent attacks and wanton destruction of lives and properties across the zone in the last decade.
“We call for the release of all those alleged to have been arrested with legitimate self-defence implements such as Cutlasses, clubs, machetes in protecting their communities in the aftermath of the attacks.
“Where such persons have been arrested as alleged, they should be immediately released because, it amounts to aggravating the pains of the people by security agencies who did not respond on time to protect the communities, to come belatedly and arrest those who are sacrificially and patriotically defending their communities from further attacks”.