The Peoples Democratic Party has requested that President Bola Tinubu visit the location of the Christmas Eve killings of Nigerians by gunmen in the Plateau State communities of Bokkos and Barkin Ladi.
According to Platinumtimes, the Chairman of Community Peace Observers in the Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, Kefas Mallai, around 150 people were killed by the gunmen.
Tinubu condemned the attacks and ordered a manhunt for the perpetrators in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, on Tuesday.
While expressing condolences to the Plateau State government and people, Tinubu warned Nigerians that “these envoys of death, pain, and sorrow will not escape justice.”
Also on Wednesday, Vice President Kashim Shettima, accompanied by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, visited the scene and assured residents that President Tinubu’s administration would not rest until victims of the attacks in the state’s Bokkos Local Government Area received justice.
In a statement issued on Friday, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, questioned what was accountable for the failure of intelligence before to and during the coordinated massacre.
The PDP said,
“Of further concern is that Nigerians are also raising issues on these apprehensions by referring to the statement attributed to former military Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, on the possibility of complicity by officials of a government in unrestrained insurgency or crisis such as witnessed in the Plateau State massacre.”
The opposition party charged Tinubu to allay fears and concerns on the above by immediately visiting the affected communities and personally addressing the nation on concrete steps to track down the perpetrators and their sponsors.
The statement read in part,
“It smacks of grave insensitivity and dereliction of duty for Mr. President as the Commander-in-Chief to remain silent in the face of the targeted massacre of his citizens without defence and assistance. The President even failed to play his expected role as Consoler-in-Chief by not immediately visiting the troubled areas to demonstrate leadership, empathy, and connection with the citizens.
“Instead of sending his aides to issue lame statements and detailing surrogates to visit after much prodding, President Tinubu should have as a matter of duty personally visited the scene of the genocide to give succour to the families of the dead and the wounded as well as reassure that his government is with the people of the affected communities in particular and Plateau State in general.”