President Muhammadu Buhari’s reaction to last month's attack on Muslims travellers in Jos North local government area of Plateau State, while returning from a religious event in Bauchi, is believed to be responsible for the escalating tension in an already troubled state.
Plateau State like Kaduna, has the history of religious crisis, and the attack on Muslim travellers is believed to be religiously motivated, prompting fears of a possible religious crisis engulfing the state.
But while the chances of another religious crisis in the state exists, Buhari's statement claiming the attackers knew their exact targets, and that it was religiously motivated, was enough to add more fuel to an already tense atmosphere in the state.
Speaking through his Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, Buhari, “It is widely known that Plateau State has been one of the states affected by herder-farmer clashes, which have, in a significant way, been curtailed following the intense peace-building efforts of the administration of Governor Simon Lalong.
“However, to be clear, this is not an agriculturalist-on-pastoralist confrontation – but rather a direct, brazen and wickedly motivated attack on members of a community exercising their rights to travel freely and to follow the faith of their choosing.
“With the evident preparedness of their attackers, it is clear this was a well-conceived and prearranged assault on a known target, location and religious persuasion of the travellers not an opportunist ambush."
Soon after, threats of reprisals on Christians both within and outside Plateau State, begins to circulate, despite calls for calm by religious bodies in the country.
The uncertainty of the situation in Plateau State, was a red flag, and the words, 'better safe than sorry', took effect. This perhaps, was a major factor in state's decision to evaluate their people, particularly students, away from the state.
If anything justifies the evaluation moves by states, it is not only the belief that Buhari’s body language supports shows he supports atrocities being committed by terror groups against Christians in the North, particularly in Southern Kaduna, but also the failure of the Buhari administration to guarantee the safety of Nigerians, including students who have become the target for terror.
This is especially, supported by the recent disclosure by the ruler of Irigwe ethnic nationality in Plateau State, High Royal Highness, Right Reverend Ronku Aka.
Ronku who spoke when the president of the Gideon and Funmi Para-Mallam Peace Foundation, Reverend Gideon Para-Malam, led other officials of the non-governmental organisation on a sympathy visit to his palace in Miango, following attacks by herdsmen which cost several lives, said his kingdom is under invasion, and security operatives said they are under instruction to not intervene.
He said that security operatives who were deployed to the communities during attacks, claimed they had no instruction to repel attacks by herdsmen in the region.
“I don’t blame the local government chairman in Bassa or the governor of the state over the calamity that has befallen my people. At peace meetings, the governor will give orders but the security men will go and do a different thing.
“When I enquired what was happening, some soldiers cried to me that they did not receive the orders to repel the attackers.
“Some of them, who expressed frustration over the situation, wondered the essence of holding guns which they cannot use and left the scene,” he said.
A further gloomy picture of the current state of insecurity in Plateau State, was painted by a recent report, that terrorists have surrounded two Local Government Areas of Langtang North and Langtang South and have concluded plans to launch deadly attack on the natives.
According to Daily Trust, the alarm was raised by the council chairman of Langtang North, Laven Ubandoma, while addressing journalists in Jos, the state capital.
Ubandoma said they had spotted the terrorists and pleaded with the government and the security agents to do everything possible to stop the planned attack on innocent citizens.
According to the Council Chairman, security agents have also confirmed the report while calling for the protection of unarmed civilians who cannot defend themselves.
With the current state of insecurity in Plateau State, it only makes sense that states consider withdrawing their people if for nothing, but for the sake of extreme caution.