Gyang Bere, Jos
The Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that the perpetrators of Plateau killings were arrested and prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others who were involved in the act of gory killings in the country.
Chairman of the Governors Forum and Governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Abdul’aziz Yari, said this, on Friday, in Jos, when he led seven other governors and four deputy governors to commiserate with the Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State over the killing of over 200 persons in the state.
According to Governor Yari, “The Governors Forum is here in Plateau State to commiserate with Governor Lalong and the good people of the state over the killings of innocent citizens.
“We, collectively as Governors, condemn in totality what happened in Plateau State. We are encouraging President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that whosoever has a hand in these killings of our people should be arrested and brought to book”.
He said the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators would serve as deterrent to other people who take pleasure in killing and maiming innocent lives in the country.
Governor Yari said the incessant killings of innocent persons in the country had been going on to undermined the power of constituted authority in the country and vowed to do everything within their powers as governors to halt the killings.
“We will deliberate in the Governors Forum to ensure that peace and security come back in our respectively states.
“Most of the states affected, like my own state Zamfara, Benue, Nasarawa, Niger, Sokoto and Kebbi have suffered these attacks.
“These arm bandits are all over there. So, we collectively condemn what has happened particularly in Plateau State and other part of the country.
“This should be the last killings in this administration that will happen to this magnitude. The security must take responsibility and we must do something now as leaders, otherwise the way we are seeing it, the next target will be us the leaders, but we will not allowed it to happen.”
The Zamfara governor also vowed that the Governors Forum would unite and intensify fight against the enemies of the country, saying Nigeria would continue as one country under one sovereign nation.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the All Progressive Governor’s Forum, Rochas Okorocha of Imo State described the killings as ‘nonsense and share madness.’
According to Governor Okorocha, “We must take responsibility as leaders of this country and we must unite as Plateau people and Nigeria to fight this madness and stop a situation where innocent people are being killed”.
Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, in his response, appreciated the show of love from his colleagues, saying he was surprised by the killings of innocent citizens in the state.
